Hoops Rumors

The Hornets took an unusual approach following their best seasons in a decade. Rather than building around the core that finished with a winning record for just the second time in 10 seasons, they dealt their franchise player. The team’s executive vice president of player personnel, Jeff Peterson, determined that the roster as constructed wasn’t ultimately going to produce a true Eastern Conference contender. The team won a play-in game, then lost to Orlando and fell short of the first round.

Former NBA forward Reggie Perry has signed with EuroCup’s KK Bosna, according to a team press release. The club is based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Perry, a 2020 second-round pick who appeared in 36 NBA games from 2020-22, spent recent seasons in the NBA G League, Korea and China. Last season, he was signed by the Beijing Royal Fighters and averaged 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The Heat need to monitor their point guard depth, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines in his latest mailbag. While Davion Mitchell is deserving of the starting job, there are legitimate questions regarding projected backup Dru Smith and two-way player Tre Donaldson on a team seeking to be a contender. Miami should be looking for an alternative if the front office and coaching staff have lingering concerns about their point guards in the preseason or prior to the trade deadline.

Since we last checked in on the NBA’s longest-tenured players by team one year ago, a handful of names who were in the top 10 have parted ways with their former clubs. That group includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had been with the Bucks since he was drafted 15th overall in the 2013 draft. The two-time MVP is now a member of the Heat after being traded this summer.

Former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Kings on Friday after he didn’t play at all in 2025/26, having spent some time away from the court and making an effort to get fully healthy. Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Andscape, one of the reporters who broke the news, suggested Simmons would be open to a multiyear stay in Sacramento if things go well in 2026/27.

For the second straight offseason, Erik Spoelstra of the Heat is the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA. Spoelstra took over the top spot on our list when Gregg Popovich announced his retirement in May 2025. Popovich had been head coach of the Spurs for nearly three decades. Spoelstra has won two championships and has made six total NBA Finals appearances since he took over as Miami’s head coach in 2008. He will also be the head coach for Team USA during the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

Several NBA teams sent scouts this week to watch 2027 draft prospect Dash Daniels at the NBL Blitz, the annual preseason showcase for Australia’s National Basketball League. Daniels’ team, the South East Melbourne Phoenix, was one of two teams to go 2-0 during the event, with the 18-year-old guard averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists in 22.2 minutes per game.

The list of 2026 NBA free agents has been culled pretty thin. Only one player — restricted free agent center Jalen Duren, who came in at No. 1 — remains unsigned from our list of the top 50 free agents for the 2026/27 season. Duren is also the lone restricted free agent remaining this offseason. There’s “still a gap” in contract negotiations between Detroit and Duren, who’s coming off an All-NBA regular season but followed that up with a disappointing postseason showing.

After making the playoffs (via the play-in tournament) with a 49-33 record in 2023/24, the Pelicans endured an injury-plagued ’24/25 campaign, going just 21-61 and finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NBA. The poor results led to the dismissal of former head of David Griffin in April 2025. The next day, owner Gayle Benson agreed to hire longtime former Pistons executive Joe Dumars to lead the basketball operations department (Dumars was formally hired two days after Griffin was fired).

Any remaining optimism surrounding the Clippers starts with having Darius Garland to run the offense for the entire season, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. The 26-year-old point guard was dealing with a lingering toe injury when he arrived from Cleveland in February, but he was still effective in the 19 games he played, averaging 19.9 points and 6.4 assists and helping L.A. secure a spot in the play-in tournament.