NBA

The No. 24 overall pick in 2023, Prosper was waived by Dallas last week and now finds a new home in Memphis, where he will likely spend most of his time with the Hustle. Prosper appeared in 92 games across two seasons with the Mavericks, mostly in a reserve role. There is still some upside here, but he likely won’t crack the rotation this season.

Avdija has been a force for Israel throughout EuroBasket, but this was his best performance of the tournament so far. However, it wasn’t enough to get the win over Luka Doncic (37/11/9) and Slovenia, which drops Israel to 3-2. They’ve qualified for the Round of 16, so expect more big performances from Avdija moving forward.

Unsurprisingly, Doncic has carried the offensive load for Slovenia throughout EuroBasket, and this was another dominant performance from him. This wasn’t his highest-scoring game, but it was his most efficient outing from the floor. This was the third time this tournament that he finished with exactly nine assists, but he was able to record a triple-double against Belgium. Slovenia will go as far as Doncic takes them.

This was a strong response from Risacher after he was held scoreless in 15 minutes against Poland on Tuesday. Risacher’s role has been limited during EuroBasket, but he has been able to provide quick offense at times. Heading into his second season with the Hawks, Risacher appears poised for a breakout year.

Bitadze has played well for Georgia during EuroBasket, with averages of 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocks per game. He’ll continue to play a reserve role behind Wendell Carter Jr. for the Magic this upcoming season, but performances like this are encouraging for his long-term value.

Nurkic has been playing well during the last few EuroBasket games for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which includes three straight double-doubles. His NBA reputation has gone downhill over the last couple seasons, but strong performances like this could help him improve his standing. However, on a rebuilding Jazz team, there won’t be much motivation to play him big minutes.

Thomas looked long and hard for a long-term deal that met his money expectations, but he wasn’t able to find that from any team. Now, he’ll bet on himself and return to Brooklyn for one more year before exploring unrestricted free agency next summer. Thomas could be the first domino to fall in restricted free agency, as Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes have all yet to sign contracts.

Liddell, who played for the Nuggets during this summer’s NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas, will have another opportunity to solidify his standing in the NBA. While the Nets did add five first-round picks and former Nugget Michael Porter Jr. (via trade) this offseason, the team’s rebuilding status may open the door for a two-way player like Liddell to earn minutes. At a minimum, the two-way deal gives the forward an opportunity to compete when training camp opens at the end of the month.

Things started on Wednesday morning when journalist Pablo Torre revealed his findings regarding Kawhi Leonard’s receipt of a $28 million endorsement deal from a fraudulent tree brokerage company funded by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. According to the investigation, the Clippers star performed no work in exchange for the endorsement deal. If the NBA finds in its investigation that this deal was made to circumvent league salary cap rules, the Clippers could be in serious trouble. The company, Aspiration, filed for bankruptcy in March, with an LLC connected to Leonard on the list of creditors. Aspiration owes KL2 Aspire LLC $7 million, and its co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, was arrested in March under allegations that he conspired to defraud investors of $145 million.

Jokić and Alperen Şengün were locked in an epic individual battle as Serbia and Türkiye competed for the top spot in Group A at EuroBasket. The latter picked up the victory and the top spot, but Jokić still came through with a solid overall performance. With the Round of 16 on the horizon, the lifting stands to get heavier for The Joker, as Serbia is without Bogdan Bogdanović for the remainder of the tournament with a hamstring injury. While Serbia has enough help for its star center to win the event, the task is more challenging with Bogdanović sidelined.