Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija said in a social media post that the team did not clear him for Israel's August FIBA World Cup qualifying window. According to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops, Avdija called it a complex back injury, and earlier reporting traced it to a January rebound attempt. The first-time All-Star still finished […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Ziaire Williams told the Southern California News Group that JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka have framed his role around being a "main defender, point-of-attack defender." The former No. 10 overall pick joined Los Angeles on a one-year, $3 million deal in July after averaging 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and […]

The Charlotte Hornets signed forward Josiah Allick to an Exhibit 10 contract, Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports. The move brings Charlotte to the 21-player offseason maximum and sets up a path for Allick to remain with the Greensboro Swarm if he is waived before the regular season. The 25-year-old averaged 5.6 points, 5.8 […]

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Matthew Murrell, the team announced Monday, with terms undisclosed per club policy. The 24-year-old spent last season with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah's G-League affiliate, averaging 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals across 31 regular-season appearances at a shade over 28 minutes per night. Efficiency […]

What the heck is a Post-Hype Breakout? For this piece, we will define a Post-Hype Breakout as a player who was either over-drafted the prior year (or years) or has simply been forgotten by time, but is now ready to break out in a big way. A fantastic exercise during fantasy draft season is to […]

Charlotte Hornets guard Dennis Schroder led Germany past Poland 96-94 in overtime in Sunday's FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifier, finishing with 18 points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal while shooting 5-for-11 from the field, 2-for-5 from deep, and 6-for-7 at the line. FIBA credited him with the game-winning free throws with 17 […]

Miami Heat guard/forward Pelle Larsson scored 23 points in Sweden's 84-69 loss to France on Sunday in Group L of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, getting to the line 16 times and converting 13, Spotrac's Keith Smith reports. The 25-year-old could not match France's frontcourt efficiency, as Victor Wembanyama posted 18 points, […]

Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud scored 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting in France's 84-69 win over Sweden on Sunday in Group L of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The second-year big matched Victor Wembanyama's efficiency from the field, with the San Antonio Spurs star finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three […]

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama needed only seven field-goal attempts to score 18 points in France's 84-69 win over Sweden on Sunday in Group L of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year added eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal while helping France […]

Indiana Pacers guard Braden Smith said he is focused on turning in-game growth into daily progress after a rough Summer League, per Forbes' Tony East. The No. 38 pick shot just 26.5 percent across five games in Las Vegas, though he still averaged 6.8 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. Smith called himself his own […]

The New Orleans Pelicans recently signed Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year deal. The new addition is going to significantly impact the Pelicans' rotation this upcoming season. The team will need to figure out how to mix Dejounte Murray, Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole, and Mathurin all into a rotation together. Given all the depth the Pelicans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans recently signed free-agent guard Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year deal. The 24-year-old gets $16 million over two years and a player option in his new deal. The presence of Mathurin is going to significantly impact the rest of the Pelicans' rotation. The team will need to find minutes for Dejounte Murray, […]

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) remains in the team's plans while he works his way back from surgery. ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective that Minnesota has no plans to trade DiVincenzo, who is on a $12.5 million expiring contract, though the organization has "a quiet hope" he could return before the […]

Restricted free-agent center Jalen Duren remains firmly in Detroit's plans, with ESPN's Tim MacMahon reporting on The Hoop Collective that the Pistons have told rival teams they are "absolutely positively 100 percent" committed to keeping him. Any team pursuing a sign-and-trade is wasting its time, per MacMahon, leaving Duren nearly two months into an unresolved […]

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Aaron Nesmith said he used the offseason to get healthy and tighten his ball handling, speaking Monday ahead of the Pacers Foundation Charity Softball Classic. "It was good getting a long offseason and getting the body right," Nesmith said. Injuries, including a neck issue, limited the 26-year-old to 45 games last season, […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves waived guard/forward John Konchar on Saturday, one day after acquiring him from Utah in the Josh Green trade. The move was expected, as Minnesota plans to stretch Konchar's $6.17 million expiring salary into roughly $2.06 million charges over three seasons to help finalize Jonathan Kuminga's two-year, $12.4 million deal. The 30-year-old split […]

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry became extension-eligible Saturday and can sign a two-year deal worth up to $136.7 million before June 30, ESPN's Bobby Marks reports. The Over-38 rule caps any extension at two seasons, though Curry could pursue up to three years by waiting for free agency in 2027. The 38-year-old is owed […]

Miami Heat forward/center Nikola Jovic scored 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting in Serbia's 102-73 rout of Iceland on Friday in Group J of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The 23-year-old added three rebounds, two assists, and a plus-28 while outscoring Nikola Jokic, who finished with six points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. […]

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic posted six points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in 23 minutes of Serbia's 102-73 win over Iceland on Friday in Group J of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The three-time MVP had reached 20 points in both of his previous 2027 qualifying appearances, so the […]

Boston Celtics center Luka Garza recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in 15:49 as Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Italy 78-76 on Friday in Tuzla, the country's first win over the Italians in six meetings. The 27-year-old shared the frontcourt with Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic, who carried the load with 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting […]

Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic carried Bosnia and Herzegovina to a 78-76 win over Italy in Friday's World Cup qualifier in Tuzla, posting 25 points and 14 rebounds on 11-for-19 shooting in just over 22 minutes. The 32-year-old had not played competitive basketball since February, when nose surgery ended his NBA season. Utah's frontcourt looks […]

Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (undisclosed) is dealing with an injury of some kind after Portugal pulled him early in the fourth quarter of Friday's FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers win over Spain, Keith Smith reports. Head coach Mario Gomes said the medical staff flagged a "real risk" and shut Queta down as […]

Oklahoma City Thunder center Aday Mara posted 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four blocks in Spain's 95-89 loss to Portugal on Friday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The No. 12 pick in June's draft went 3-for-8 from the field and 6-for-7 at the line in 19 minutes, while Boston […]

Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta racked up 16 points, nine rebounds, and two steals in 24 minutes as Portugal upset Spain 95-89 on Friday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. Five of his boards came on the offensive glass, where the 27-year-old continues to do his best work. Queta averaged 10.2 points, […]

Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze put up 23 points, eight rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in Georgia's 101-74 win over Montenegro on Friday in Group I of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The 27-year-old finished second on the team behind Tornike Shengelia, who led all scorers with 24 points, while Sandro […]

The Utah Jazz are trading veteran guard/forward John Konchar and Cody Williams to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Josh Green and cash, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. Minnesota is expected to waive-and-stretch Konchar, with Saturday marking the final day to stretch a player's 2026-27 salary across multiple seasons. The move would spread Konchar's $6.17 million cap hit […]

The Utah Jazz are sending guard/forward Cody Williams and John Konchar to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Josh Green and cash, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. Minnesota is expected to keep Williams and waive-and-stretch Konchar, giving the No. 10 pick from 2024 a fresh opportunity after two uneven seasons in Utah. The 21-year-old averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trading guard/forward Josh Green and cash to the Utah Jazz for Cody Williams and John Konchar, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. The Australian wing was the salary Minnesota needed to move, as his $14.7 million expiring deal cleared enough room under the second apron to finalize Jonathan Kuminga's contract using the taxpayer […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili filled the box score in Georgia's 101-74 rout of Montenegro on Friday in Group I of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The 27-year-old finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals while playing behind bigger scoring nights from Tornike Shengelia and Orlando Magic […]

Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen posted a game-high 15 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in China's 83-57 win over Qatar on Thursday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers Second Round. The 21-year-old shot 7-for-11 from the field and 1-for-2 from three in 20 minutes at Al Janoub Stadium […]