Vasilije Micic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Officially Stretch Lillard, Buy Out Micic

July 7th, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Luke Adams

6:56 pm: Micic gave up $6.1MM in his buyout agreement with the Bucks, who stretching his remaining $2MM across three seasons for annual cap hits of $667K, reports Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

5:09 pm: The Bucks have officially waived point guards Damian Lillard and Vasilije Micic, according to the transaction log at NBA.com. Both moves had been anticipated as Milwaukee looked to clear the cap space necessary to sign free agent center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107MM contract.

Reports last Tuesday indicated that Lillard would have his remaining $112.6MM salary spread across five seasons instead of two using the stretch provision in order to create immediate cap relief for Milwaukee.

Lillard is expected to miss most or all of the 2025/26 season while he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered during the first round of the playoffs in April. The nine-time All-Star has reportedly drawn interest already from many teams around the NBA, but hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll sign a new contract this offseason and is said to be in no rush to make that decision.

As for Micic, the expectation after he was acquired from Charlotte in exchange for Pat Connaughton and a pair of second-round picks was that he would agree to reduce his $8.1MM cap hit in order to become a free agent and generate a little extra cap space for the Bucks. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the two sides did reach an agreement on a buyout, though it’s unclear at this point how much of his salary Micic gave up.

Micic has played a pretty limited role in the NBA during the past couple seasons after starring in Europe for most of his career. In 101 total games for Oklahoma City, Charlotte, and Phoenix, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.9 assists in 19.4 minutes per contest.

Rumors in recent months have linked Micic to multiple EuroLeague teams — while it’s not clear exactly which one he’ll end up with, it seems likely that the 31-year-old Serbian will head back overseas to resume his playing career.

It appears both Lillard and Micic were technically placed on waivers on Sunday evening, as the NBA’s transaction log lists Turner’s deal as having gotten done last night. Still, if those cuts occurred after 4:00 pm Central time, neither player will officially clear waivers until Wednesday.

Bucks Trade Connaughton, Picks To Hornets For Micic

July 1st, 2025 at 11:45am CST by Rory Maher

July 6: The Hornets have officially acquired Connaughton and the Bucks’ 2031 and 2032 second-round picks in exchange for Micic, the team confirmed today in a press release.

July 1: The Bucks have agreed to trade veteran forward Pat Connaughton and two second-round picks to the Hornets for guard Vasilije Micic, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The second-rounders heading to Charlotte will be Milwaukee’s own in 2031 and 2032, Charania adds.

As Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron tweets, Micic ($8.1MM) only makes about $1.3MM less than Connaughton ($9.4MM) next season, but the Serbian has been repeatedly rumored to be seeking a return to Europe this summer, and could give up a significant portion of his salary in a buyout. Assuming that comes to fruition, it should give the Bucks enough cap room to sign Myles Turner after waiving and stretching Damian Lillard.

Connaughton, 32, was an important reserve for the Bucks when they won the title in 2021 and has been with the team for the past seven years. However, in part due to injuries, he hasn’t looked like the same player in recent years, having been out of Milwaukee’s rotation for much of 2024/25.

Connaughton averaged 5.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists on .469/.321/.774 shooting in 41 regular season games last season (14.7 minutes per contest). He only played 14 minutes over three appearances during the Bucks’ first-round playoff series vs. Indiana, which Milwaukee lost in five games.

Charlotte will acquire a couple of second-round picks for taking on Connaughton’s expiring contract. The Hornets just reacquired Micic yesterday when the Mark Williams trade with Phoenix became official.

Hornets Trade Mark Williams To Suns For McNeeley, 2029 First-Rounder

June 30th, 2025 at 1:26pm CST by Rory Maher

June 30: The trade is official, according to press releases issued by both the Suns and Hornets.

Williams is headed to Phoenix, while Micic, this year’s No. 29 pick (Liam McNeeley), and a 2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota) are going to Charlotte.

Rather than the swap of second-rounders (outlined below), the Hornets sent the Suns their own 2029 second-round pick in order to complete the trade.

June 25: Right around the same time they drafted Khaman Maluach, the Suns agreed to acquire another Duke center, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Hornets are sending Mark Williams to Phoenix in exchange for 2025’s No. 29 overall pick and a 2029 first-rounder.

Sources tell Charania that the 2029 first-round pick will be the least favorable of the selections controlled by Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota (Twitter link). The Wolves’ pick is top-five protected, so it would have to fall outside of that range to be in play.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), Vasilije Micic is also involved in the trade, as he’ll be sent back to Charlotte, which just traded him to Phoenix in February. Micic’s $8.1MM team option for next season will have to be exercised for that to occur.

The full trade is as follows, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

Hornets receive:

Micic.
2025 No. 29 pick.
2029 first-round pick with the least favorable language listed above.
2026 second-rounder (least favorable of Golden State and Denver).

Suns receive:

Williams.
2026 second-round pick (most favorable of Golden State and Denver).

Williams, 23, was nearly traded to the Lakers at the February deadline, but Los Angeles wound up rescinding that deal due to concerns about his physical.

A 7’0″ big man with an enormous 7’7″ wingspan, Williams was productive when healthy this past season for Charlotte, averaging 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 44 appearances (26.6 minutes per game). He shot 60.4% from the field and a career-best 80.4% from the foul line.

However, health has been a huge issue for Williams through three NBA seasons, having played a total of just 106 games. He also has been a negative defender, particularly when trying to switch onto smaller players on the perimeter.

It’s telling that Charlotte was so determined to move Williams despite his very real upside as a scorer and rebounder. The Hornets only won 19 games last season, but they were substantially worse when Williams was on the court (-12.7 net rating) compared to when he was off it (-7.7).

Obviously, Phoenix is betting that Williams and Maluach will be long-term answers in the middle. After trading away Deandre Ayton two years ago, the Suns have been lacking reliable play up front.

Interestingly, the Suns sent Josh Okogie and multiple second-round picks to Charlotte in January in order to acquire Nick Richards, whose $5MM salary for 2025/26 is non-guaranteed. Adding Maluach and Williams might signal that Phoenix will opt to waive Richards — yet another center — instead of retaining him.

Lakers’ Goodwin, Kings’ Jones Have Team Options Exercised

June 29th, 2025 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have exercised their minimum-salary team option for the 2025/26 season on guard Jordan Goodwin, while the Kings have done the same for forward/center Isaac Jones, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter links).

Goodwin, 26, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after the trade deadline in February and played well for the team in the second half of the season, earning a promotion to the standard roster in late March. In 29 total appearances (five starts), he averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steal in 18.7 minutes per game, posting a solid shooting line of .438/.382/.818.

As our team option tracker shows, the move doesn’t assure Goodwin of his full $2.35MM salary for next season — only about $25K is guaranteed as a result of the option pick-up. He would have to remain under contract through January 7 in order to be guaranteed the full amount, so his roster spot could still be up in the air depending on how the rest of Los Angeles’ offseason plays out.

As for Jones, the undrafted rookie out of Washington State had a promising debut season for Sacramento in 2024/25, averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game across 40 outings. He made 65.1% of his field goal attempts and was promoted to the 15-man roster in March when he reached his limit of 50 active games.

There have been conflicting reports on whether or not Jones’ $1.96MM salary for 2025/26 will be fully guaranteed as a result of the Kings’ option pick-up.

In other team option news, the Suns have officially picked up guard Vasilije Micic‘s $8.1MM option for next season, Smith notes (via Twitter). That was a required procedural move in order for Micic to be included in the Mark Williams trade with Charlotte.

Suns Notes: Frontcourt, Allen, O’Neale, Micic, Martin

June 23rd, 2025 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Expect the Suns to focus on adding frontcourt help in the draft and during free agency, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), who points out that the team could really use a power forward after agreeing to trade Kevin Durant to Houston and also needs either a starting or backup center.

As a result of adding Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in the Durant deal, Phoenix’s roster is heavy on wings, with Green now part of a group of shooting guards that includes Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Grayson Allen, while Brooks joins Royce O’Neale and Ryan Dunn at small forward. Cody Martin, who has a non-guaranteed $8.7MM salary for next season, could also be part of that mix if the Suns decide to hang onto him.

The Suns have gauged the trade market for Allen and O’Neale, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports, so moving one of them could help clear the logjam on the wing.

Up front, meanwhile, Phoenix likes both Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports, and the expectation is that Richards will have his $5MM salary guaranteed, per Scotto. However, Richards probably fits better as a backup than a full-time starter, while Ighodaro is entering his age-23 season and still needs time to develop.

Unless they’re able to shed significant salary, the Suns will only be able to offer minimum-salary contracts to free agents, but they now control four draft picks this week, including Nos. 10 and 29 in round one.

Here’s more on the Suns:

Within a story that extensively breaks down the Durant trade and its impact on the rest of the Suns’ roster, Bourguet says he expects the team to decline Vasilije Micic‘s $8.1MM team option and suggests Martin could be an odd man out as well for cap/tax reasons, though the club does like him. Scotto confirms that Phoenix will likely turn down Micic’s option and waive Martin unless one of their salaries is needed for a trade.
In that same PHNX Sports story, Bourguet notes that Brooks will bring some “swagger” to the roster that the Suns have lacked since Jae Crowder and Chris Paul departed, confirms that the plan is to hang onto Green rather than flipping him to another team, and briefly explores what the front office will do with Beal, since finding a trade for him feels unlikely.
The Suns had won between 45 and 64 games in the four seasons prior to 2024/25, but the Durant trade feels like it could be the beginning of a difficult stretch for the franchise, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic.
Eric Koreen and James Jackson of The Athletic teamed up to discuss what the Durant trade means for Phoenix going forward, with Jackson expressing surprise that the Suns weren’t able to extract either more young talent beyond Green or additional draft assets besides this year’s No. 10 overall pick.

International Notes: Micic, Westbrook, Jokubaitis, Valanciunas, Theis

June 16th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Hapoel Tel Aviv general manager George Hinas tells Vuk-Milos Petrovic of Basketball Sphere that his team remains in contention to sign Vasilije Micic, but he dismissed speculation about Russell Westbrook. While Micic is still under contract with the Suns, they’re expected to decline their $8.1MM team option for next season, making him a free agent by the end of the month. Several European clubs have expressed interest in adding the 31-year-old point guard, and Hinas rejected reports that Micic has ruled out Tel Aviv because of war concerns.

“He’s a great player, a EuroLeague legend, and one of the best ever,” Hinas said. “We spoke with him in late March and early April. We didn’t reach an agreement then, but we stayed in touch with him and his agent. What the Spanish media reported — that he rejected us because of the war — isn’t true. We continued talking. … Nothing is concrete yet. He’s one of the players we’re interested in, but so are other clubs. That’s how the offseason works — he talks to many clubs, and we talk to many players. His case is not closed. Not at all.”

Hinas called rumors about a potential deal with Westbrook “100% fake news.” Westbrook turned down his player option with the Nuggets for next season, but he’s expected to get another NBA opportunity.

“There were numbers mentioned — $50 million per year — which is crazy,” Hinas added. “I get that Hapoel Tel Aviv draws attention because we’re spending money. I counted 37 players who were linked with us. It’s good we’ll have three rosters, because when you have 37 players, it makes things easier (laughs). To be serious — it’s not true. There was no interest, and no one approached him.”

There’s more overseas news to pass along:

Knicks draft-and-stash prospect Rokas Jokubaitis could be considering a departure from Hapoel Tel Aviv due to international tensions, Petrovic adds in a separate story. Fenerbahce is reportedly interested in the 24-year-old guard, who may seek an early termination to his current contract.
Speaking at his annual camp in Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas said he expects to remain with the Kings this season after being acquired from Washington in February, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I can make my own plans, but what the Kings decide is what matters most,” he said. “Right now, I’m planning to stay. I haven’t heard anything about being traded or moved. Until there is such information, all my focus is on Sacramento.” Valanciunas also confirmed that he will participate in this summer’s EuroBasket tournament.
Daniel Theis, who started the season with New Orleans before being traded and waived in February, will miss the rest of the French League Finals with Monaco due to knee issues, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.

Turkish Team Hopes To Sign Dante Exum, Vasilije Micic

June 1st, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce is targeting two NBA players for next season, according to international basketball writer Zafer Ertas (Twitter link), who reports that negotiations have already begun with Dante Exum and Vasilije Micic.

Exum, who’ll turn 30 next month, will be an unrestricted free agent after spending the past two years with the Mavericks. He made a surprise return to the NBA in 2023 after spending the previous two years with FC Barcelona and Partizan Belgrade in the EuroLeague. He was a consistent rotation member as Dallas reached the NBA Finals during the 2023/24 season, appearing in 55 games and averaging 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 19.8 minutes per night.

Exum put up similar numbers this year, but he was limited to 20 games having missed the first 48 games of the season while recovering from wrist surgery and nearly a month down the stretch after breaking his hand. Injuries have been a constant for Exum, who was selected by Utah with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft, but was only fully healthy for his rookie season. He also spent time with Cleveland and Houston before leaving for Europe in 2021.

Micic isn’t officially a free agent yet, but the Suns are expected to decline their $8.1MM team option for next season before the June 29 deadline. The 31-year-old point guard made just five brief appearances after being acquired from Charlotte in early February.

Micic was named EuroLeague MVP with Anadolu Efes in 2021 and is a two-time league champion. He made his NBA debut with the Thunder last season, but was never able to establish a consistent role with any of his three teams. He has averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 101 total NBA games.

Micic has also reportedly received interest from Real Madrid, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Crvena Zvezda and Olympiacos. A story last week indicated that he wants to be paid five million euros ($5.685MM), which is a pricey sum for a EuroLeague team.

International Notes: Maledon, Micic, EuroLeague, Williams-Goss, Kabengele

May 29th, 2025 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA point guard Theo Maledon, who spent the 2024/25 season with ASVEL in France, is expected to sign a three-year contract with Real Madrid, according to Alessando Maggi of Sportando. While the team has yet to officially announce anything, Maggi reports that the two sides have finalized an agreement.

The 34th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Maledon appeared in 177 regular season NBA games across four seasons from 2020-24, spending time with Oklahoma City, Charlotte, and Phoenix. He averaged 7.8 points and 2.9 assists per contest and shot just 37.2% from the field, including 31.0% on three-point tries.

With Real Madrid looking to strengthen its backcourt for the 2025/26 season, former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic is also said to be on the Spanish club’s radar, according to a report from Meridian Sport (hat tip to Eurohoops). The Suns hold a $8.1MM team option on Micic for next season, but he’s considered a strong candidate to return to Europe if that option is declined, which seems likely.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the international basketball world:

It has been an eventful week for the EuroLeague. Europe’s top basketball league has approved a plan to expand from 18 to 20 teams, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, who reports that Valencia Basket, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Dubai Basketball are joining for the 2025/26 season, with ALBA Berlin departing for the FIBA Basketball Champions League. Meanwhile, EuroLeague reps also met with the NBA and FIBA this week in Geneva to discuss the NBA’s proposed European league, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops details.
T.J. Shorts, Nikola Milutinov, and Tyson Ward headline the list of this summer’s top EuroLeague free agents compiled by Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. While most of the players in Askounis’ top 10 will continue playing overseas, several of them figure to draw legitimate NBA interest.
Former NBA guard Nigel Williams-Goss, the No. 4 free agent on Askounis’ list, intends to sign a three-year contract with the Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas, according to Urbonas. Williams-Goss had a brief NBA run, appearing in 10 games with Utah in 2019/20, but the 30-year-old guard has been thriving in Europe, winning a EuroLeague title in 2023 with Real Madrid and spending the past two seasons with Olympiacos.
Mfiondu Kabengele, a former NBA big man, reportedly has a two-year deal in place with Dubai Basketball. That news was reported by Chema de Lucas (Twitter link) and relayed by Sportando. Kabengele, who appeared in 55 games for the Clippers, Cavaliers, and Celtics in the NBA from 2019-23, spent this past season with Venezia in Italy and earned a spot on the All-EuroCup first team after leading the league in rebounding.

International Notes: Jokic, Bogdanovic, Valanciunas, Micic, Hayes-Davis, Biberovic

May 26th, 2025 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Serbian basketball federation president Nebojsa Covic is counting on having a full team for this year’s EuroBasket tournament, including Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, according to a BasketNews report. The Serbians have never won the gold medal in the event, but they would be among the favorites if all their stars are available.

The event will take place from August 27 to September 14, which Covic believes will give everyone plenty of time to recover from the rigors of an NBA season.

“I expect us to have a complete squad. I think that those constant questions about Jokic playing can create an unhealthy environment. We are all working on having a complete squad ready,” he said. “NBA stars like Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic now have three months of rest after the seasons they had and that were very demanding.”

Jokic was one of the stars of last year’s Summer Olympics in Paris as Serbia captured a bronze medal and narrowly missed defeating the United States in the semifinals. He has been representing his country in international competitions since 2013.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Kings center Jonas Valanciunas speculated about finishing his career in the EuroLeague as he attended the league’s Final Four in Abu Dhabi, BasketNews relays in a separate story. It won’t happen for a while, as Valanciunas has two years remaining on his current contract. “I want to play in the EuroLeague, I want it for this atmosphere,” he said in an interview with SPORT24. “I want to play basketball, I want to enjoy this atmosphere.” Valanciunas played four seasons in Lithuania before coming to the NBA in 2012.
Suns guard Vasilije Micic wants five million euros ($5.685MM) to play in Europe next season, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. Phoenix holds an $8.1MM team option on Micic for 2025/26, but that’s likely to be declined because he barely played after being acquired from Charlotte in February. Micic has received interest from Hapoel Tel Aviv and Crvena Zvezda, but Maggi states that not many European teams can meet his salary demand.
After capturing the EuroLeague title over the weekend, Fenerbahce is preparing for the possible loss of Nigel Hayes-Davis and Tarik Biberovic to the NBA, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Hayes-Davis, 30, had brief stints with three NBA teams during the 2017/18 season, while Biberovic, 24, is a draft-and-stash prospect who was selected by Memphis in the second round in 2023. “There is serious interest in Tarık and Nigel from the NBA,” Fenerbahce general manager Derya Yannier said. “I don’t know what will happen over there. These are factors that could actually weaken our hand and prolong the process during the summer. Even before they leave, it’s difficult to have a clear view in terms of budget and roster planning.”

International Notes: Thompson Twins, Micic, Brown, McCollum

May 25th, 2025 at 2:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson may represent Jamaica in FIBA competitions and possibly the Summer Olympics, according to Daniel Blake of The Jamaica Observer (Twitter link). Blake states that they have begun the process of applying for citizenship, which they’re eligible to do because their father, Troy, is from Jamaica.

Amen, a first-team All-Defensive selection, became a full-time starter for the Rockets midway through the season and gained a reputation as one of the NBA’s most versatile and athletic players. Ausar overcame a health issue that cut short his rookie year and solidified a starting spot with a Pistons team that produced one of the largest single-season improvements in NBA history.

Blake adds (via Twitter) that Jamaica is making a serious upgrade to its basketball program, with Clippers guard Norman Powell already committed to playing in pre-qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup this summer. Blake states that other targets include Suns center Nick Richards, Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart and Timberwolves forward Josh Minott.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Olympiacos in Greece is expressing interest in Suns point guard Vasilije Micic, per Kevin Martorano of Sportando. Phoenix holds an $8.1MM team option on Micic for next season, but that’s unlikely to be exercised because he only got into five games after being acquired from Charlotte at the trade deadline.
Former NBA guard Lorenzo Brown may be looking to change teams next season with T.J. Shorts expected to join Panathinaikos, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Brown was disappointed with his role in his first season with the Greek powerhouse and wants to find a spot where he can play regularly. “I think I’ve proven myself in this league a bunch of times,” he said. “I just want to play, man, and finish strong. I’ll be 35 in August, but I still have a lot of game left. I can still dunk, still windmill—whatever you need me to do. I just want to play and compete. I think I was a little out of the loop this year. It was a little weird. My brothers fought for me all year. That brotherhood—that’s what matters most.”
Errick McCollum, currently with Fenerbahce in Turkey, told Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops that he received NBA offers earlier in his career, but he opted for the security of playing overseas. The 37-year-old point guard is the older brother of the Pelicans’ CJ McCollum. “I had some opportunities. But the role wasn’t right,” he said. “Sometimes it was third point guard. Not many minutes, minimum contract. It just wasn’t right in my career. For other people, it may be good. But I’m a guy who wants to play. I want to have an impact. Be out there on the court making a difference.”