WNBA Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Payne, Key, Raman, Breakout Players

October 25th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Rory Maher

EuroLeague team Partizan Belgrade has expressed “serious” interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).

As Stein notes, the Serbian club is looking for a backcourt replacement in the wake of a serious ankle injury to former NBA guard Carlik Jones, who will reportedly miss three months of action.

Payne has spent most of the past 10 seasons in the NBA after being selected 14th overall in 2015. He appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks in 2024/25, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.8 APG in 15.1 MPG.

The 31-year-old went unsigned for nearly the entire offseason prior to catching on with Indiana on October 9. However, Payne didn’t play well during the preseason, and the Pacers decided to waive him before ’25/26 began even though they had (and still have) several backcourt injuries.

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

Four-year NBA veteran Braxton Key, who spent all of training camp and the preseason with Memphis before being cut last week, has officially signed a rest-of-season deal with Valencia Basket, the Spanish team announced in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops). The 28-year-old forward was named G League Defensive Player of the Year last season and finished out ’24/25 on a standard contract with Golden State.
Sonia Raman, who was an assistant coach with the Grizzlies from 2020-24 prior to spending last season as an assistant with the WNBA’s New York Liberty, has agreed to a multiyear contract to become the Seattle Storm’s new head coach, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Storm also compete in the WNBA.
John Hollinger of The Athletic lists 12 players he believes are primed for breakout seasons, including younger stars like Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and Lakers guard Luka Doncic, as well as more under-the-radar players such as Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili and Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. A pair of young Wizards wings — Cam Whitmore and Kyshawn George — are also breakout candidates, according to Hollinger.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Mazzulla, Battle

October 16th, 2025 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum remains hopeful about his chances of returning from his torn right Achilles before the 2025/26 season ends, but he tells DJ Siddiqi of PokerStrategy.com that there’s no specific timeline or target date in place at this point.

“Nobody’s pressuring me,” Tatum said. “The team, the doctor, the organization, everybody is just like, ‘We want you to be 100% before you come back.'”

While many players who suffer Achilles tears are sidelined for at least a full calendar year, Tatum made it clear that the recovery process isn’t “time-based” and is confident there would be little risk of aggravating the injury if he’s cleared to come back before the one-year mark.

“Time is obviously important, but you have to hit certain benchmarks,” he explained to Siddiqi. “The most important thing is all these tests of your strength, the strength in your calf, the strength in your leg. Getting into the same strength as your left calf or even stronger. For some guys, that takes six, nine, 12 months. Everybody’s just different. But the surgery that I got, the things that we’ve been doing, I feel very, very confident in that surgical site. We won’t have that problem again.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Celtics star Jaylen Brown told head coach Joe Mazzulla that he’ll be OK after exiting Wednesday’s preseason finale with a hamstring injury, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. Brown left in the first quarter and was later ruled out for the rest of the night due to what the team called left hamstring soreness. “Talked to him after, he said he would be fine, but I didn’t get a full update,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game.
When Mazzulla was named the Celtics’ head coach in the fall of 2022, he took over a team with immediate championship expectations. Those expectations remained the same for his first three seasons on the job, but look a little different in 2025/26 as a result of Boston’s offseason roster changes and Tatum’s Achilles injury. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required) takes a look at how Mazzulla is calibrating his coaching style for the new-look roster. “I think you have to adjust based on the roster that you have and the personalities that you have,” Mazzulla said. “But also the type of personality that you want your team to have. Everyone is different so you have to treat everyone different, but at the same time you have to have a collective personality in what you’re trying to do. You have to be able to spend time and understand what makes each person tick, but your team has to tick at a certain level.”
Ashley Battle – a Celtics scout who also held the title of assistant general manager of the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate – is leaving the organization to join the front office of the Portland Fire in the WNBA, reports Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link). A former WNBA player herself, Battle had been working for the Celtics since 2021.

Central Notes: Turner, Ball, Mathurin, Sarama, Russell

October 15th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Bucks got their first glimpse of the Giannis Antetokounmpo–Myles Turner pairing on Sunday, and what they saw in just over five minutes should excite them, says Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Despite Antetokounmpo’s somewhat pedestrian box score numbers, his presence opened up the floor for the team’s shooters, Nehm writes. Most importantly, Turner’s instincts, not only as a spacer but also as a cutter, worked perfectly alongside Antetokounmpo’s scoring gravity, creating wide-open looks for the Bucks’ guards.

“The most important thing about him is that he sacrifices,” Antetokounmpo said. “At times, he knows that he’s not going to get the ball and he’s going to create the open shot for his teammate.”

While the on-court stint may have been over quickly, Nehm feels it’s indicative of why pursuing Turner was the right choice for a team featuring Antetokounmpo. So far, the Bucks’ star seems to agree.

“It’s fun playing with him. Makes the game easier for me,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think I’ll try to make the game easier for him. When I draw a lot of attention, I think he’s gonna be able to create a lot of open shots … So he just makes the game easier not just for me, for the whole team.”

We have more notes from around the Central Division:

Speaking of proving the value of an offseason pursuit, Lonzo Ball showed during Tuesday’s preseason game against the Pistons why the Cavaliers targeted him in trade talks this summer, writes Chris Fedor for Cleveland.com. Ball did a bit of everything in his 20 minutes, with nine points, nine assists, four rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Coach Kenny Atkinson said that was exactly what he was envisioning Ball’s role to be. “He hasn’t disappointed,” Atkinson said. “Everything that we thought we were getting, we’re getting. He’s just got a great, great feel. I’m excited to coach any NBA player, but this is a guy I’ve watched for a long time. He’s kind of the ultimate system fit.” It appears the only questions surrounding Ball’s tenure in Cleveland will be related to health, not skill set.
Bennedict Mathurin is expected to command a significant role for the Pacers this season with Tyrese Haliburton recovering from an Achilles tear. In Monday’s preseason matchup against the Spurs, he showed that he could not only create his own shot, but also play within the flow of the offense, writes Dustin Dopirak for the Indianapolis Star. Mathurin ended the game with 31 points on 11-of-12 shooting. On the less encouraging side of things, the Pacers’ four centers, Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, James Wiseman, and Tony Bradley, scored three total points on 0-of-10 shooting. With the departure of Turner, figuring out how to survive the center rotation will be crucial for the Pacers to stay competitive.
Alex Sarama, who spent the last year and a half as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, has been announced as the first head coach for the newly-christened Portland Fire WNBA team, writes Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. Sarama worked with Fire general manager Vanja Cernivec during their time with the London Lions in the British Basketball League, serving as the Lions’ director of methodology.
Walker Russell Jr. has played for the Pistons, as did his father, Walter Russell Sr. He now returns to the organization as an assistant coach for its G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, writes Omar Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. The Russells remain the only father-son duo to ever both play for the Pistons, and Sankofa adds that both father and son started and ended their playing career in Detroit. Russell Jr. is eager for the opportunity. “This right here is the best feeling I ever had, coming home,” he said. “I get to grind player development, I get to grind with the guys and tell my story, the good and the bad. The bad is what I really, really like to harp on because everybody talks about the good in this business. Nobody really talks about how you stay in this business.“

Heat Notes: Ware, Jakucionis, Adebayo, Mitchell

October 13th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Kel’el Ware continues to post impressive numbers in the preseason, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra continues to push him to expand his game to do more things that impact winning, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Ware’s latest big performance came on Sunday night as he posted 24 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and two steals in 25 minutes in a loss to Orlando.

“I would much rather coach somebody who’s willing to be coached, who can put up 24 (points) and 10 (rebounds), and figure out how to get those winning moments during the course of a game,” Spoelstra said. “That’s where we are.”

Spoelstra called out Ware during Summer League, citing a need to improve his “professionalism,” and has continued to set a high standard for the second-year center since training camp began. Ware told reporters that he tries to take inspiration from Spoelstra’s critiques.

“I always take anything that the coach says to me as motivation,” Ware said. “I take it and I try to impact it into my game, and I try to play as hard as I can. Like I said in the last interview, I was still getting my legs back under me from training camp.”

Ware exceeded expectations as a rookie and became a starter alongside Bam Adebayo as the season wore on. Spoelstra said “all things are on the table” regarding his starting lineup, but Chiang notes that Ware was used off the bench in the first three preseason games and only started on Sunday because Adebayo was being rested on the first night of a back-to-back.

There’s more from Miami:

Kasparas Jakucionis left Sunday’s game in the first quarter with soreness in his right hip, Chiang adds in the same piece. The rookie guard missed the first two preseason contests because of a sprained left wrist before playing on Wednesday. “It is a little frustration,” he said. “But these things I can’t control. So I’m just trying to control what I can control and do my thing.”
In a separate story, Adebayo talks to Chiang about the experience of supporting girlfriend A’ja Wilson as she led Las Vegas to the WNBA title. Adebayo practiced with the Heat on Friday, flew to Phoenix to watch the Aces clinch the championship that night, then returned to Miami in time for Saturday afternoon’s practice.
Davion Mitchell made his preseason debut on Sunday after sitting out three games with calf soreness, per Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. Mitchell, who re-signed with Miami on a two-year, $24MM deal this summer, only played in the first half and finished with two points and two assists in 10 minutes. “Preseason is kind of when you get your rhythm,” he said. “Especially with our new offense, kind of learn how to play the new offense. But for me, it’s just kind of just trying to find my rhythm. But I’ll figure that out in the next couple days.”

And-Ones: Westbrook, Durant, WNBA Coaches, Caboclo, Fournier, More

October 9th, 2025 at 10:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

Russell Westbrook remains an unsigned free agent and Rockets forward Kevin Durant wouldn’t mind a reunion with his former teammate, he said on the “Up & Adams” show (video link).

“Russ is a legend. He deserves to be in the NBA right now,” Durant said. “I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms. That would be dope.”

If Westbrook is signed in the short term, it won’t be with the Rockets. They’re hard-capped and can’t sign a veteran right now, even if it’s a minimum contract.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

There are five current openings for WNBA head coaches. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) hears that several of those teams are considering NBA assistant coaches with G League head coaching experience for those positions. Fischer notes that Nate Tibbets had that type of background and is the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, who are currently in the WNBA Finals. Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase guided Golden State’s WNBA franchise to a winning record in the team’s inaugural season, earning Coach of the Year honors.
Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Bruno Caboclo will miss several months of action after undergoing back surgery, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. The NBA veteran big man joined the Reds ahead of last season and appeared in 23 games, including three starts, averaging 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Caboclo, 30, appeared in 105 NBA games, mostly recently a six-game stint with Houston during the 2020/21 season.
Longtime NBA forward Evan Fournier would like to finish his career with Olympiacos, he said in a recent TV interview as relayed by Askounis. “I feel very good here and I want to finish my career here,” he said, “I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but for me that’s the goal.” Fournier signed a three-year extension in July. Fournier appeared in 704 regular season games throughout his NBA career, making 504 starts and averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes per night.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has unveiled his win total projections for each NBA team, from the Thunder (59.2) at the top to the Wizards (14.2) at the bottom.

And-Ones: ESPN Survey, S. Cash, Bargain FAs, More

September 23rd, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

A panel of 20 coaches, executives, and scouts around the NBA polled by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps overwhelmingly picked Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the current best player in the NBA, with Jokic receiving 19 votes while Lakers guard Luka Doncic earned the last one.

However, the predictions for 2025/26 MVP were more divided — Jokic leads the way with seven votes, but Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (five), Doncic (four), and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (two) each received multiple votes, while Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards each got one too.

The panel polled by Bontemps also predicted who will be the NBA’s best player in 2030 (Wembanyama received 16 votes), who will win Rookie of the Year in 2025/26 (Cooper Flagg earned 19 votes), and where LeBron James will be when the 2026/27 season begins — seven respondents expect him to still be a Laker, while five said he’ll be retired and eight believe he’ll be with a new team.

Those coaches, executives, and scouts also believe the Hawks (seven votes) had the best offseason of the NBA’s 30 teams, while the Pelicans (nine votes) had the worst summer. And they nearly unanimously picked the Thunder to repeat as champions. Just two respondents chose the Nuggets to win the 2026 title, while the other 18 stuck with Oklahoma City.

Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA:

After being let go by the Pelicans in April, former WNBA star and veteran NBA executive Swin Cash is joining Amazon Prime Video for the 2025/26 season, according to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. Cash will have the role of “front office insider” on Prime Video’s NBA studio show, then will become a studio analyst for Amazon’s WNBA coverage.
Thomas Bryant, Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks, and Delon Wright are among the unsigned players identified by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report as bargain free agents who are capable of helping any NBA team.
John Hollinger of The Athletic views the Thunder (62.5 wins), Clippers (48.5), Warriors (45.5), Bulls (32.5), and Jazz (18.5) as the five teams who are the best bets to exceed the over/under win projections set by oddsmakers for the 2025/26 season.

Timberwolves Hire NHL Panthers’ Caldwell As CEO

August 27th, 2025 at 9:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves have hired Matthew Caldwell as Chief Executive Officer of the organization, effective Sept. 2, according to a team press release.

Caldwell will oversee day-to-day business operations and high-level strategic initiatives for the Timberwolves, WNBA Lynx, and G League Iowa Wolves. New team owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez gave Caldwell, who had served as President and CEO of the NHL Florida Panthers the past nine years, a 10-year contract.

Caldwell is the first major hire by Lore and Rodriguez since the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the franchise following a lengthy legal battle with previous majority owner Glen Taylor. The Panthers have won the last two Stanley Cups.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Timberwolves and Lynx organization at such a pivotal moment in its history,” Caldwell said in a statement. “I am inspired by Marc and Alex’s vision and passion for Minnesota basketball and their commitment to excellence. I look forward to making my mark across the organization, and to building a lasting foundation that gives Minnesota basketball fans what they deserve – the best experience in sports, bar none.”

Caldwell’s leadership played an instrumental role behind the Panthers’ most successful period in franchise history which culminated with the organization being named 2025 Sports Business Journal Team of the Year. Caldwell first joined the Panthers in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer, before being appointed CEO in 2016, at which time he was the youngest CEO in U.S. professional sports at age 36.

“Our vision is for the Timberwolves and Lynx to set a new standard of excellence in pro sports and we’re confident that Matthew is the leader needed to make that a reality,” Lore and Rodriguez said in a joint statement. “Leading our organization into an innovative new era requires an exceptional individual at the helm and Matthew’s proven track record leading the business of the Florida Panthers is undeniable. We can’t wait to see the remarkable impact his bold leadership will have on this organization.”

Panthers owner Vincent Viola calls Caldwell’s departure “bittersweet,” according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“There are very few opportunities I would advise him to pursue, but working with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore on a global platform like the NBA is at the top of that list,” Voila said.

Caldwell will take over responsibilities from interim CEO Kelly Laferriere, who has led the organization during its ownership transition period. Laferriere will assume the role of senior advisor to ownership. Tim Connelly will continue to oversee oversee basketball operations.

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Discusses Injury Recovery

August 24th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Rory Maher

Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton offered a brief update on his injury recovery in a session with reporters on Saturday, according to Field Level Media (story via Reuters). The two-time All-Star is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, which he suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

“I’m walking now in my boot,” Haliburton said. “Getting closer to walking full time in my shoe. So, that’s exciting for me. It’s kind of like a new benchmark, a new achievement for me. … Just being able to walk, it’s like the small wins right now. Just taking it a day at a time. I have good days, bad days.”

The 25-year-old said he’s trying not to be impatient with the recovery process since he knows he’ll miss the entire 2025/26 season.

“I obviously want to be good tomorrow but I know it takes time,” Haliburton said. “The team has already ruled me out for the year, so I’m in no rush. It’s just about getting 100 percent, not necessarily as fast as I can, but getting 100 percent is important. I don’t want to come back and be 85, 90 percent. I want to be able to come back at 100, so I’m just taking my time through that.”

Haliburton also said he and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark have been supporting each other as they both battle injuries, writes Joshua Heron of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). The No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft has missed the Fever’s past 14 games with a groin injury and has battled soft-tissue issues throughout the season.

“It sucks that she’s been hurt for as long as she has. But just for us to be able to communicate even in our recovery, we lift at the same time, so it’s just us two in the weight room,” Haliburton told reporters. “We spend a lot of time together. It’s good to have each other to lean on in a time like right now.”

John Wall To Join Amazon’s NBA Coverage

August 20th, 2025 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

When John Wall announced his retirement as a player on Tuesday, he referred to “new opportunities” presenting themselves and said he’s ready for his “next chapter.” According to Michael Lee of The Washington Post, the next phase of Wall’s career will involve joining Amazon Prime Video for its studio show in 2025/26.

Although Wall told Lee in a recent phone interview that he still felt like he has “a lot left in my tank” as a player and was disappointed he didn’t get another opportunity on the court, he’s looking forward to staying involved in the NBA by sharing his insights with fans on Prime Video beginning this fall.

“If you never really had the opportunity to sit down and talk to me, you won’t really understand how much I love basketball, where my basketball mind is at, where my IQ is,” Wall said. “I can basically tell you the best player in the country — from girls to boys, high school, to the players that’s in college, to the people that’s at the NBA and WNBA.”

It will be Amazon’s first season as an NBA broadcaster. The streaming giant will air games exclusively on Friday nights through December before adding Thursday and Saturday broadcasts later in the season. Prime Video will also be the home of the knockout round of the NBA Cup in December.

Amazon previously announced that former NBA stars Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki will be part of its studio show, which will be hosted by Taylor Rooks.

In addition to that studio team, Prime Video’s broadcasting roster will include analysts Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, Candace Parker, Stan Van Gundy, Dell Curry, Brent Barry, and Udonis Haslem, as well as sideline reporters Cassidy Hubbarth, Allie Clifton, and Kristina Pink, and play-by-play announcers Kevin Harlan, Ian Eagle, Michael Grady, and Eric Collins.

Wall, meanwhile, made a few more interesting remarks in his conversation with Lee, noting that he had wanted to remain with the Wizards for his entire NBA career and that he hopes to have his No. 2 jersey retired by the franchise. The former No. 1 overall pick also discussed the health issues that derailed his playing career and ultimately cut it short.

“People think, ‘Oh, he got the money, he’s set for life, he don’t care.’ No, I would give up all the money to play basketball and never deal with none of those injuries,” Wall said. “I didn’t play the game of basketball for money. I played the game of basketball because I love it. I was itching to get back to play. I wasn’t itching to sit on the sideline and collect the check. The check don’t mean [anything].”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Hauser, Simons, Mazzulla, WNBA

August 9th, 2025 at 8:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s no official injury update on Jayson Tatum, but it was encouraging to see the Celtics star moving around freely during two public appearances this week, writes Matty Wasserman of The Boston Globe. Tatum made a visit to Patriots training camp on Wednesday and followed that by joining coach Joe Mazzulla at the groundbreaking for a new early education center a day later.

Tatum, who underwent surgery after tearing his Achilles in a May 12 playoff game, didn’t take any questions or address his condition, but team president Rich Gotham seemed delighted with his progress.

“He’s gone from walking around in a boot and just kind of wiggling his toes to, as you see him today, he’s walking around a little more freely,” Gotham told reporters. “That’s obviously very encouraging to all of us at the Celtics … These are all little milestones in what has been a pretty grueling process for him. But it’s great to see him out at something like this.”

Gotham refused to speculate on whether Tatum would return to action if he receives medical clearance before the end of the upcoming season. However, he added, “What I know about JT is that he’s going to do everything he can to put us in the position to make a decision.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics trimmed nearly $50MM off their luxury tax bill by trading Georges Niang to Utah, and they appear determined to get below the tax line altogether, cap expert Yossi Gozlan states in his Third Apron column (subscriber link). They’ll be about $12.1MM above the threshold once Chris Boucher officially signs, and Gozlan identifies two potential cost-cutting strategies. One is to trade Sam Hauser‘s $10MM salary and duck below the tax at the deadline by moving minimum-salaried players and replacing them with prorated signings. Another is to send Anfernee Simons ($27.7MM) to a team below the first apron, which would only have to part with $19.2MM in salary in return. That would also put Boston in position to escape the tax with small moves at the deadline.
The multiyear extension for Mazzulla gives the Celtics some stability amid significant roster turnover, observes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Terada adds that Mazzulla is liked and respected by his players, particularly Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe examines the obstacles that Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca is facing in his attempt to buy the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and move the team to Boston. Washburn states that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is on board with the effort, adding that Boston doesn’t want to wait for the next round of expansion, which might not happen until 2033.