In addition to declaring that the Bucks have no interest in trading starting center Brook Lopez, general manager Jon Horst touched on several more topics in a wide-ranging interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, expressing no regrets about last fall’s trade for Damian Lillard and conveying optimism about Milwaukee’s chances of being a title ..read more

Veteran center Jonas Valanciunas signed a three-year contract with the Wizards worth in excess of $30MM earlier this month, but the hosts of ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast aren’t expecting the big man to play out that entire deal in D.C. (YouTube link; hat tip to HoopsHype). In fact, Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps suggested they wouldn’t be surprised if Valanciunas is playing elsewhere before the 2024/25 season is over. “Do we think Jonas Valanciunas will be on offer from the Wizards midway through the season?” Windhorst said. “I wouldn’t rule out Jonas Valanciunas eventually ending up a Lak ..read more

Gianluca Pascucci has joined the Pistons front office, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype (Twitter link). Pascucci spent last season as a Bulls scout after a stint as assistant GM with the Timberwolves. He left Minnesota in May 2022 after the organization decided not to pick up its option on his contract. Pistons first-year president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon worked with Pascucci in the Nets’ front office. Pascucci joins several other hires this summer in Detroit’s revamped front ofice. Former Mavericks executive Dennis Lindsey was brought in to be their sen ..read more

Barcelona has expressed interest in veteran center/power forward Chimezie Metu, according to Alessadro Maggi of Sportando. Metu became an unrestricted free agent last month when the Pistons declined his $2.65MM option for next season. There are only a handful of open roster spots around the league, so the 27-year-old big man may have to consider playing overseas. Metu signed with the Suns last summer and appeared in 37 games before being sent to Memphis as part of a three-team deal at the trade deadline. The Grizzlies waived him a day later, and he eventually landed in Detroit, first on a 10-d ..read more

Pistons lottery pick Ron Holland struggled with his shooting but otherwise had a productive Summer League, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. Second-round pick Bobi Klintman also made a favorable impression, as did two-way player Daniss Jenkins ..read more

Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Las Vegas, Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas explained why the front office waited until this summer to shake up a roster that finished below .500 in each of the past two regular seasons. “I think three years ago when we came up with our plan, our formula, that worked for a short period of time until we got into injuries. The reactions, the second year and then obviously, we waited a third year to see where we at,” Karnisovas said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Now, we’re kind of making these changes. You could argue it’s ..read more

Former first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp has appeared in 100 games across his first two seasons with the Bucks, but he has yet to establish himself as an indispensable part of the rotation, having averaged a modest 13.1 minutes per night since entering the NBA. Beauchamp will be suiting up for Milwaukee’s Summer League team for a third consecutive year and wants to show in Las Vegas that he’s capable of taking on a larger role this fall, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic details. “I asked (Bucks head coach Doc Rivers) and he said he wanted me to play two games, and it’s up to me after that,” Beauch ..read more

12:52pm: Klintman’s deal is official, according to the NBA’s transaction log. 11:39am: The Pistons are signing Bobi Klintman to a four-year contract worth just under $8MM, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link). The first two seasons are fully guaranteed, Charania adds. Detroit selected Klintman, 21, with the 37th overall pick in last month’s draft. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported that the Pistons were hoping to sign the Swedish forward to a multiyear standard contract. Scotto confirms Klintman’s salary will be worth more than the minimum in 2023/24 ..read more

The Pistons are hiring Luke Walton to join J.B. Bickerstaff‘s coaching staff as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). As noted by Charania, Walton has spent the last two seasons serving as an assistant in Cleveland under Bickerstaff. Walton played in the NBA for the Lakers from 2003-12 and then spent the 2012/13 season with the Cavs before retiring. He then enjoyed brief stints as an assistant for the University of Memphis and the now-South Bay Lakers of the G League. He got his first NBA coaching job in 2014 as an assistant for the Warriors for two sea ..read more

The NBA has announced the five-team groups for this year’s in-season tournament, now renamed the Emirates NBA Cup, the league announced in a release on Friday (Twitter link). Like last year, there are six groups — three each from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference — and each conference was split into five groups based on last year’s standings. One team was selected at random from each group to determine the group round matchups. The results are: West Group A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets and Trail Blazers West Group B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Spurs West Group C: N ..read more