As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Wenyen Gabriel is finalizing a deal with the Boston Celtics, joining the recent addition Jrue Holiday on the green-and-white NBA team. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said he “has agreed to a training camp deal” with the same franchise.

Playing next to Chicago Bulls’ own Carlik Jones, the 26-year-old big man was really helpful to coach Royal Ivey in order to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games with South Sudan. All throughout the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he put up 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, being decisive in getting this historic achievement for the African country.

Prior to the summer, Wenyen Gabriel played in the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with the Californian side. Previously, he was under contract with the Sacramento Kings, the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Los Angeles Clippers. In the G-League, he played for the Wisconsin Herd and the Stockton Kings.

Free agent F/C Wenyen Gabriel is finalizing a deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Gabriel, who averaged 5.5 PPG and 4.2 RPG for Lakers last season, will compete for a reserve big man spot in Boston.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 1, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA World Cup

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Following Jrue Holiday’s departure from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Boston Celtics, another piece of the puzzle gets inserted in today’s NBA movements.

As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, in fact, the point guard Cameron Payne agreed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he will find the newcomer Damian Lillard, who recently joined Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammates.

In the 2022-23 season with the Phoenix Suns, Cameron Payne averaged 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 41.5% from the field. This was his fourth straight year with the franchise from Arizona.

Drafted with the 15th overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, the now 28-year-old guard also played for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers before moving to Phoenix. During his eight-year professional career, he also wore the jerseys of the Oklahoma Blue, Windy City Bulls, and Texas Legends in the G-League, while playing two games in China with the Shanxi Loongs in the 2019-20 season.

Free agent guard Cam Payne has agreed on a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/va0ErtdVve

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 1, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

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According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jrue Holiday has been traded to the Boston Celtics from the Portland Trail Blazers, where he recently moved as part of the big package that saw Damian Lillard heading to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The NBA market expert also stated that “The Celtics are trading Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, 2024 GSW 1st, 2029 unprotected BOS first to the Blazers”, and that “The Celtics were among the teams at very top of Holiday’s wish list in recent days and expectation is Celtics are eager to retain him long-term, sources said. Holiday has a year left on the deal. Boston beat out several teams in both conferences with a significant trade package”.

In the 2022-23 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, the former Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans player had 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game, shooting 47.9% from the field and 85.9% at the charity stripe.

With the Milwaukee Bucks, the 33-year-old American guard won the 2021 NBA Championship. He also won the 2020 Olympic Games alongside Kevin Durant with USA Basketball in Tokyo.

BREAKING: The Portland Trail Blazers are trading guard Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/rOx1Hpwcpk

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 1, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

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Deandre Ayton appeared to be quite excited upon entering his new locker room spot at the Portland Trail Blazers gym following his trade from the Phoenix Suns.

“I feel like I just got drafted,” Ayton said in a video posted by the Blazers.

Ayton was actually drafted by the Suns with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. He spent the next five years in Phoenix and was getting ready for his sixth season with the team until the biggest blockbuster trade of the 2023 offseason happened and he found himself switching clubs.

The three-team deal that sent Blazers superstar Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks also involved the Suns and Ayton, now a Portland resident.  The 25-year-old big man will be called to assume a substantial, maybe even leadership role in his new team after five productive years in Phoenix

“They need a Dominayton so I’m up in the building man,” Ayton was saying while walking through the Blazers’ facilities.

“I’m so glad to be here,” he added.

Ayton had a productive run with the Suns but didn’t actually develop into the player that the club was expecting from a No. 1 overall pick. Over five years, he averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds in 30.6 minutes over 303 regular season games, along with 15.9 points and 9.7 rebounds in 33.7 minutes over 44 playoff appearances.

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Following the premature ending to his stint with the San Antonio Spurs, Josh Primo will sign a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Primo, 20, heading to the Clippers was reported by ESPN on Friday.

Meanwhile, the NBA announced a four-game suspension for the Canadian shooting guard. The league confirmed Primo exposed himself to women as a member of the Spurs upon a separate investigation.

Per the press release: “The NBA announced today that Joshua Primo has been suspended four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league. The league conducted its own investigation and consulted with relevant experts. Following that process, the league found that Primo engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women. Primo maintains that his conduct was not intentional, and the league did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures. Nevertheless, this behavior does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.

Primo has not played in the NBA since his contract was terminated by the San Antonio Spurs on October 31, 2022.”

Besides the sanction, Primo will continue his ongoing therapy in Los Angeles.

In the 2021 NBA draft, the Spurs selected him with the 12th overall pick. However, the former Alabama standout was waived after playing in four games of the 2022-23 Regular Season. Overall, he logged 54 games, averaging 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.4 steals per contest.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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Theo Maledon signed a two-way contract to stay with the Charlotte Hornets, the club announced. The French guard joined the Hornets in 2022-23, averaging 6.7 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds over 44 games.

Per Hornets:

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The blockbuster trade revolving around Damian Lillard shook the NBA world. The seven-time All-Star guard moved to the Milwaukee Bucks to form a formidable duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the East.

After a summer of speculations, Trail Blazers settled on a three-team trade involving Milwaukee and the Phoenix Suns, which resulted in Jrue Holiday, DeAndre Ayton, and Toumani Camara coming to Portland. Additionally, they acquired a 2029 first-round pick via the Bucks, along with two first-round pick swaps with the Bucks (2028, 2030).

Bleacher Report delved into everything that happened during the summer between Lillard and the Trail Blazers. They also gathered the first impressions of Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who talked about losing Jrue Holiday and his excitement to play with Dame.

Lillard requested a trade early in the summer, with the Miami Heat being his preferred destination, but the Portland Trail Blazers reportedly felt pressured. This eventually led to a division between the player’s camp and the Oregon team.

As stated in the article, the Portland organization told Lillard to sit out the last ten games of the previous season so the franchise could improve their lottery odds and secure the highest possible draft pick, which they would then trade for a proven veteran. Lillard reluctantly accepted, citing a calf injury. The Trail Blazers ultimately chose Scoot Henderson as the No. 3 pick, and on July 1, the 33-year-old point guard demanded a trade, preferably with Miami.

After everything, Portland refused to engage in trade talks with the Heat and even severed all communication with Lillard and Aaron Goodwin early in September.

“How this summer played out behind the scenes definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. But it doesn’t change the amazing experiences I’ve had with the Trail Blazers and this city. I’ll always cherish this place. This is my home. I’ll always live here regardless,” Lillard told B/R.

Lillard even tought about returning if the move to the Florida doesn’t materialize, but Portland rejected that option. There was no coming back. The 12 years NBA veteran was reportedly shocked. He even showed up at the team’s fascilities, but GM Joe Cronin wasn’t talking to him.

“I went into the facility because I was still on the roster and usually that time of the year is when team activities start to pick up as a group. I wasn’t confident I would be moved so I showed up to be in the mix. I didn’t go there to cause any problems,” Lillard continued. “That’s not my character. If they felt that way, it wasn’t my intent. I was just trying to get acclimated and everyone was happy to see me. Every single person except Joe. He never spoke to me. And when I noticed that, I made up in my mind that I’m not going out my way to speak to him.”

As time passed by, even the NBA had to get involved because of the bad relations between the player and the Trail Blazers, scheduling a Zoom meeting with the League’s officials, and Cronin eventually started communicating with Goodwin. Soon, things started to move behind the scenes and Lillard surprisingly ended up in Milwaukee.

The Bucks looked for players to add to their championship chances and got themselves a star, but at what cost? The star of the team, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is excited to play alongside Lillard but is disappointed that Jrue Holiday was the one that had to leave.

“Jrue is my f–king brother for life. I love his family. I love him. I appreciate him. He blessed me with a f–king championship. He’s the one who made that huge steal in Game 5 of the Finals. I went to battle with him multiple times. F–k basketball. F–k the media sh*t. This guy is my brother for life, and it’s always going to be like that. He’s going to thrive wherever he ends up,” Antetokounmpo said to B/R.

While Holiday’s future remains uncertain, with reports saying the Trail Blazers might be looking to trade him, Giannis and Lillard are sure to be a force to reckon with in the East and the whole NBA.

“Now at the same time, I’m excited to have Dame. He gives us a chance to win a championship. I’m excited to play with the caliber of player that he is. He can score the ball in his sleep and shoot the lights out. It’s a bittersweet day for the city of Milwaukee. You get Dame, who is a great player, but you lose a great guy. Jrue took us to the promised land. I’m 10 years in now. I know it’s a business. At the end of the day, Jrue will always be my brother for life. He’s one of the best human beings I’ve been around. But we’ve got to focus on the goal to win the championship. Dame wants this. He’s hungry to win, and he’s going to push us. I’m very happy to have him on our team.”

When the deal was announced, one of the first text messages Lillard received was from Antetokounmpo: “Let’s get this f–king championship“.

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Sarunas Jasikevicius makes the trip to Sacramento.

He will join the Sacramento Kings for one month, thus through the 2023 NBA Preseason. The news was reported by the Lithuanian outlet 15min on Thursday.

Jasikevicius, 47, is currently a free agent. He parted ways with FC Barcelona following the 2022-23 season, despite winning Spain’s Liga Endesa with a three-game sweep against archrival Real Madrid in the ACB Finals. Over three seasons as the head coach of the Catalonia powerhouse, he captured the ACB championship in 2021 and 2023, and the Copa del Rey in 2021 and 2022. However, he missed out on all opportunities to win the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Before Barca, he introduced himself to the coaching world by guiding his hometown team Zalgiris from 2016 to 2020, following two years as an assistant coach. Success with the Kaunas outfit was highlighted by reaching the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four.

Bouncing back to action, he traveled to Sacramento intending to follow the training camp over the next month. Leading player Domantas Sabonis and assistant coach Deividas Dulkys are fellow Lithuanians permanently based with the Kings in the capital of California.

Before his coaching career, Jasikevicius logged 148 games played in the NBA between the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors. Despite numerous achievements as a player in Europe, including winning four EuroLeague titles at the club level and one EuroBasket title at the international level, his run in the NBA was far from equally eventful.

Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net

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Excitement is building up early for Luka Doncic at the top of training camp with the Dallas Mavericks.

Returning to Madrid to face his former team, Real Madrid, in a preseason game on October 10 has been officially confirmed by the NBA. The Mavs superstar recalled growing up in Spain’s capital, even beyond basketball and multiple individual and team accolades as a teenager, including the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

“It means a lot. I have been thinking about this game since they told me I was going to play there,” he said in a press conference following practice on Wednesday.

“That game is going to mean a lot to me,” he furthered, “I was raised there. I was taught there, how to speak English, Spanish, everything, how to play basketball. That is my second home for sure. I am very excited to be back.”

Luka Doncic expects ‘way better’ stuff with Kyrie Irving

The 2023-24 NBA Regular Season will feature him alongside Kyrie Irving. After speeding up the process of forming a partnership midway through the 2022-23 Regular Season, Doncic and Irving can instead work together through the training camp.

“Better, for sure,” he projected the backcourt combined performance, “He came in the middle of the season last year, and we didn’t have much time. We went straight to playing games. It takes time to do chemistry, especially on the court, so we didn’t have the whole training camp, and then I mean, the preseason, too. So I think it’s going to be way better.”

The Slovenian sensation tallied 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest through the 2022-23 NBA campaign. However, the Mavericks did not make the postseason field.

Dealing with injury

Doncic, 24, represented Slovenia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup during the offseason, playing through a thigh injury. “It is better,” he noted falling shy of declaring himself fully healthy.

Averaging 27.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, he helped Slovenia rank seventh overall. Individually, he notched a spot in the All-Star Team of the tournament.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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The Damian Lillard trade saga seems to be over. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers are trading Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three-team deal, that also includes the Phoenix Suns.

While Lillard is moving to Milwaukee to create an impressive power pair with former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Blazers get Jrue Holiday and a 2029 unprotected first-round pick from the Bucks. Portland also brings over DeAndre Ayton from the Suns.

The Suns are acquiring Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson from the Blazers and Grayson Allen from Milwaukee.

Lillard was reported to be asking for a trade out of the Blazers early in the 2023 offseason after spending all of his 11 NBA years in Portland. From the start, he made known that the Miami Heat were his preferred choice of destination, something that was also communicated by his representatives and that he wasn’t interested in playing for any other team. In the meantime, the Blazers were biding their time to find a kind of deal that would benefit the organization.

This happened less than a month before the 2023-24 regular season begins as the Bucks were the ones that won the race for Lillard, adding a superstar next to their franchise player. Antetokounmpo will be quite happy to see his team getting stronger and probably feel more eager to commit for 2024-25, while Lillard will get an opportunity to win his first-ever championship next to the Greek Freak.

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Confirming the addition of Usman Garuba on a two-way contract, the Golden State Warriors welcomed the power forward/center to the Bay on Monday.

Garuba, 21, officially switched to the Warriors after two NBA campaigns with the Houston Rockets.

The deal was reported about two weeks ago. Previous rumors linked the Spanish big to a return to Real Madrid.

Per the press release: “The Golden State Warriors have signed center Usman Garuba (oose-mon gah-ROO-bah) to a two-way contract, it was announced today.

Garuba, 21, owns career averages of 2.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 99 games (three starts) over two seasons with the Houston Rockets. Originally selected by the Rockets with the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, Garuba averaged 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.45 steals, and 1.00 blocks in 24.6 minutes over 11 games as a rookie with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Prior to the NBA, the Madrid, Spain, native spent three seasons with Real Madrid (2018-21 in Spain’s top league, Liga ACB, Garuba has competed internationally for his home country in both the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2023 FIBA World Cup.”

Playing for Spain in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Garuba produced 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.8 steals per contest over five appearances in Jakarta. His side ranking ninth overall secured a ticket to next summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

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Playing at the international level in the summer recovered the confidence in Nikola Jovic following an injury-plagued rookie campaign in the NBA.

Jovic, 20, averaged 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for Serbia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He made 56.6% from the field, including 19/27 from two-point range. His efforts were immediately rewarded with a silver medal. Carrying over additional perks in the NBA can be a future prize.

“I feel like when we went to the Finals this year with the Heat, I maybe questioned myself. Can I make it to that level? Can I play the hardest competition in the world? Playing in the World Cup and being in the final showed me I can actually play in the big games like that, big tournaments like that. I just got more confidence,” he told the Miami Herald.

Last season, the Miami Heat won the Eastern Conference, before falling to NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in five games. However, Jovic was limited to two brief appearances in the Finals and seven throughout the Playoffs.

“You always have doubts and people are going to doubt you,” added Jovic on regaining confidence, “Everybody questions themselves sometimes and I always questioned whether I’m good enough to play in this type of an atmosphere and you have this many people looking at you. I feel like I’m ready to do something now after this summer.”

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra serving as an assistant for Team USA in the World Cup was an interesting twist for the Serbian forward.

“When I turned around and saw him, I was just happy,” he referred to the games with Spoelstra present, “After almost every game, he would send me a message of what he thinks and just telling me to keep going. I felt that connection even though maybe I didn’t see him every day.”

Serbia settled for the second place in the final rankings after losing to Germany in the gold medal game. Meanwhile, the United States ranked fourth after losing to Canada in the bronze medal game.

World Cup and graduation

Revealing he has yet to finish school made an early splash last summer, before the start of his rookie NBA campaign. However, this summer featured graduation, beyond impressive showings in the Philippines.

“We had a big ceremony to celebrate the World Cup. The day after that, I went to school to finish,” he described returning to Serbia to finally graduate from secondary school.

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Dwight Howards met with the Golden State Warriors and had a couple of workouts but the club decided to not sign him according to Shams Charania.

Howard, a former eight-time All-Star center, has been looking to return to the NBA after spending the 2022-23 season in Taiwan with the TaiwanBeer Leopards. The Warriors could have provided a landing spot for the 37-year-old decorated big man, however, they’ll continue without him.

Charania reports that the Warriors wanted to “maintain flexibility” especially when it comes to signing a big guy either during training camp or after the start of the regular season. Golden State has been looking to bolster its frontcourt, especially with a veteran player.

While Howard seemed like a good fit, he’ll now look for another team to possibly make his NBA comeback.

In an interview that was published in July, Howard expressed how eager he is to not only return to the NBA but show teams that he can “still dominate” despite being well past his prime.

Over 18 seasons in the NBA, Howard was also a member of the First Team five times while being named Defensive Player of the Year from 2009 to 2011. In 2020, he won a championship title with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State Warriors' decision on signing a vet center such as Dwight Howard: pic.twitter.com/a04oOXdhfF

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2023

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There hasn’t been much urgency from the Portland Trail Blazers to trade star point guard Damian Lillard, but that reportedly could change soon.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed that Portland hopes to have a deal in place for the right price by the start of training camp on Oct. 3, Bleacher Report writes.

Lillard hopes to be traded to the Miami Heat, but Portland has yet to receive an offer it deemed worthy of sending away its face of the franchise, which has opened the door for other teams to try to acquire the 33-year-old floor general.

On Wednesday, Jackson and Anthony Chiang reported that the Blazers’ “recent focus has been discussions with other teams, not Miami.” However, it was also noted that “If Lillard is traded to a team other than Miami, he is expected to ask to be traded to the Heat.”

Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups addressed Lillard’s status and admitted the unresolved nature of trade negotiations could be a distraction.

“Obviously it’s unsettling, it’s difficult,” Billups told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. “But for me, all I can do, I’m responsible for giving my best to who we have. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. There’s nothing I can do to control it. But I do know who we have on our team right now and who I’ve been working with this summer. Who I’m excited about. All I can really do is pour myself into our guys. And see what happens whenever that happens.”

Time is running out for the Blazers to secure a deal for the seven-time All-Star, as it could create an awkward situation if he’s still on the roster by training camp.

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The latest injury setback leads Aleksej Pokusevski to the sidelines for at least six weeks.

Pokusevski, 21, sprained his right ankle during a workout Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder relayed Wednesday.

The Serbian forward will be reevaluated after sitting out the entire 2023 NBA Preseason and the first week of the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season.

A recent hand injury prevented Pokusevski from representing Serbia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup during the offseason. Despite his absence, the team guided by Svetislav Pesic captured the silver medals with six wins in eight games.

His third campaign in the NBA was limited to 34 appearances in the 2022-23 Regular Season due to injuries. He tallied 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game, starting on 25 occasions. A total of 140 games played over three seasons further reflects on struggling to stay healthy.

Pokusevski was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, coming out of Olympiacos and carrying the experience of competing at the senior level, including three brief appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Shortly following recruitment, he was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Thunder.

Heading to a contract season and potentially becoming a restricted free agent next summer, Poku finds himself in a demanding situation. Getting minutes, after missing the training camp and the early chunk of official games can be tricky, especially in a young squad such as the Thunder.

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Besides the numerous active and former players enjoying in person the jersey retirement ceremony organized by Olympiacos to celebrate the career of Vassilis Spanoulis, more NBA players and legends of the sport remotely sent their own messages. The respective videos were displayed on the Peace and Friendship Stadium jumbotron.

Probably the most prominent example of players growing up idolizing Spanoulis, Luka Doncic reiterated his view congratulating the three-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion. “You have been an inspiration to a lot of people, especially to me,” mentioned the Dallas Mavericks leader.

The 2023 NBA champion Nikola Jokic supported Spanoulis via video as well. “You are a legend of this sport and a role model for young people and young players,” he pointed out.

Boban Marjanovic of the Houston Rockets alongside legends Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Greek GOAT Nikos Galis delivered their own messages complementing the event.

The “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t send a message but reacted on his social media by saluting Spanoulis.

“Congratulations on an amazing career”, Giannis posted.

Giannis salutes Spanoulis #TheNightOfTheLegend7 pic.twitter.com/brMGKXcURx

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 17, 2023

More video messages were sent and displayed by EuroLeague stars such as Vasilije Micic, Shane Larkin, Nando De Colo, Faccundo Campazzo and former Spanoulis teammate Daniel Hackett.

The Reds retiring no. 7 to honor the contributions of Spanoulis over the years concluded in an emotional atmosphere with the jersey descending in the rafters of SEF.

Photo Credit: EuroLeague

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Nikola Jokic followed a coaching clinic of Zeljko Obradovic, as revealed by the legendary tactician.

“I was captivated by his interest,” admitted Obradovic during an interview with sports network Arena Sport, “We tumbled into each other last year as he was preparing with the national team and Partizan was also preparing for the new season. I asked him how he was doing and we briefly talked. He revealed that he watched my seminar in Opatija. It was a pleasant surprise.”

“This says a lot about Jokic,” added Obradovic, “He probably also follows seminars of other coaches, besides mine.”

Jokic, 28, is a mastermind of creativity on the court. However, the top-notch basketball IQ would be hampered by missing out on any progress in tactics and general approach to the game.

“He also followed Partizan in the training camp,” shared the head coach of Partizan Mozzart Bet, “He gave me advice. It was about one detail in our game. He thought we should have a different approach. I understood what he meant and immediately adjusted.”

“We should trust players”

The Denver Nuggets superstar switched directly from Mega Leks to the NBA in 2015. His experience at the senior level and interaction with a wider range of coaches was limited before being selected with the 41st overall pick of the draft. In a brief recap, he went on to become the leading player of the Nuggets, winning the 2023 championship and being named Finals MVP.

“We should trust players,” furthered Obradovic, “You can’t ignore Jokic. A player with an NBA ring, competing at the highest level in the world, we should listen to what he has to say.”

“However, I must stress that the coach ultimately decides. I don’t know how Jokic will react to this comment,” he wondered.

Besides counseling, another recent connection was talking with former Denver Nuggets teammate P.J. Dozier about moving to the team based in Belgrade. The 26-year-old swingman eventually signed a one-year contract to play under Obradovic.

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Free agent center Neemias Queta is signing a two-way contract with the Celtics, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Queta played three college seasons at Utah State before Sacramento drafted him 39th overall in 2021. He spent his first two professional seasons with the Kings on two-way contracts, appearing in 20 total NBA games for an average of 7.5 MPG.

While his role with the Kings was modest, Queta excelled in the G League with their affiliate in Stockton. In 2022/23, he earned a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team and finishing second in MVP voting. He averaged 16.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.9 BPG in 27.7 MPG across 29 regular season appearances for the Stockton Kings.

Queta, who is the NBA’s first player from Portugal, was a restricted free this summer. He ultimately signed a partially guaranteed two-year deal to return to the Kings, but was waived this week after the team signed JaVale McGee to a guaranteed contract.

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The Golden State Warriors are set to present Usman Garuba with an additional opportunity to prove his worth in the NBA following two quiet campaigns with the Houston Rockets.

Garuba, 21, agreed to a two-way contract with the Warriors, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Since becoming a free agent, the Spanish forward/center was determined to return to the NBA. However, considering his options beyond the league based in North America, he was reportedly on the verge of returning to Europe and Real Madrid. Completing his run with Los Blancos, he was named EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player in 2021.

The Spanish big is coming off representing his country in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He tallied 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.8 steals per contest over five appearances in Jakarta, Indonesia. Earlier experience in major international tournaments extends to the 2020 Olympic Games and capturing gold in the 2022 EuroBasket.

After being selected with the 23rd pick of the 2021 draft, Garuba switched from Madrid to the NBA. He averaged 2.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game over 99 games played through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 editions of the NBA Regular Season. Early in July, he was involved in a trade packing him to the Atlanta Hawks and then traded again to land in the Oklahoma City Thunder. In late August, he was waived.

Dwight Howard to meet with the Warriors

Besides setting up the addition of Garuba, the Warriors are also considering the addition of Dwight Howard, per Charania.

Howard, 37, will have a meeting with the California franchise next week to discuss the possiblity of reaching a deal, as noted in the report. The 2020 NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers last played in the league during the 2021-22 season. In 2022-23, he moved his talents to Taiwan.

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Oklahoma City has finalized plans to build a new downtown arena for the Thunder, the city announced Tuesday, ESPN reports.

The Thunder have committed to play in the new arena for at least 25 years, according to the city’s news release. The plan to construct the arena and the Thunder’s commitment is conditional on the passage of a temporary one-cent sales tax by Oklahoma City voters on Dec. 12.

The projected cost of the arena will be a minimum of $900 million. Thunder ownership has committed to contribute $50 million.

“As this very public discussion played out over the last year, the people of Oklahoma City have overwhelmingly expressed to me two desires — (1) keep the Thunder for as long as possible, and (2) don’t raise taxes if it can be avoided. We have accomplished those two priorities with this plan, and it is truly a win-win for all of us,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said in the news release.

“Perhaps the most important aspect of the deal is the length — this is twice the commitment we received in 2008 and will keep the Thunder here beyond 2050. My children will be my age when this agreement ends. For a generation, we will retain the economic impact and quality-of-life benefits we have enjoyed as a big-league City. It is an investment that pays for itself many times over.”

The city’s news release cited a study that estimated the Thunder’s annual economic impact at $600 million with 3,000 jobs created. The Thunder have played in the 21-year-old Paycom Center since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. The franchise’s long-term agreement to stay in Oklahoma City expired earlier this year, but the Thunder exercised a short-term extension while participating in the arena planning process.

The intent is for the arena to be open by the 2029-30 NBA season.

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