International Wiretap

The NBA's creation of a new league in Europe is right on track. The NBA plans to name the winning bidders for the 12 permanent franchise members of the new league in the next 60 to 90 days. Those teams will be located in the following cities:

• Rome, Italy
• Milan, Italy
• London, England
• Manchester, England
• Paris, France
• Lyon, France
• Madrid, Spain
• Barcelona, Spain
• Berlin, Germany
• Munich, Germany
• Athens, Greece
• Istanbul, Turkey

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum has been heading the project on the league's behalf. Tatum said the league remains on track to debut in October, 2027.

"We’re on a very, very quick timeline here," Tatum said. "We’re going to identify the right partners in the right cities, and we’re going to take as much time as we need in order to identify those right partners. We’re talking not only existing basketball teams in the ecosystem, but we’re talking to soccer teams that currently don’t have basketball teams that are interested, and we’re also talking to individuals and other entities who don’t have a basketball team but want to invest in a basketball team."

Tatum said that the European teams could eventually play NBA teams in preseason games. Eventually, Tatum said that the two leagues could combine and play against each other in the Emirates NBA Cup. Tatum also said that league is working with streaming partners for the broadcast component for the new league.

"There has been an incredible amount of inbound interest on taking those games and distributing them not only throughout Europe but globally," Tatum said. "We have no doubt that it will create some global interest, and therefore media partners are very interested in carrying that content."

Cleveland Cavaliers two-way wing Riley Minix is reportedly close to signing with ASVEL in France. Minix is technically under contract with the Cavs though next season on a two-way contract, but Cleveland is likely open to release Minix to pursue opportunities overseas.

Minix has only played limited minutes in two NBA seasons with the Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs. In two G League seasons, the 6-foot-7 wing has stood out. Minix has averaged 18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals across 54 total G League games. He's also put up 52/42/82 shooting splits during that time.

Lithuanian powerhouse Zalgiris Kaunas is close to deals with a pair of former NBA players. Guard Carsen Edwards and wing Maxwell Lewis are reportedly finalizing deals to play for Zalgiris next season.

Edwards is a four-year veteran of European basketball. He played last season for Virtus Bologna in Italy, and previously played for Fenerbahce in Turkey and Bayern Munich in Germany. Last season for Virtus Bologna, Edwards averaged 17.1 points in 72 games across all competitions.

Lewis split last season between Juventus in Lithuania and Tofas in in Turkey. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 8.5 points on 50/45/80 shooting splits in 55 combined games for the two clubs.

Long-time NBA forward Trey Lyles moved abroad last season with Real Madrid in Spain. After a strong season, including a EuroLeague run, Lyles is looking to head back to the NBA.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.5 points on 49/42/78 shooting in 74 games across all competitions last season. Lyles had a big game in the EuroLeague final, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the first half.

Real Madrid has reportedly begun looking for replacements for Lyles, in anticipation of a move back to the NBA. Even if not opportunities materialize for Lyles, he's likely to receive bigger offers than Real Madrid will be able to match.

Former Washington Wizards assistant coach Ryan Richman was named the new head coach of the Alvark Tokyo in the Japanese B.League Premier on Monday.

Richman most recently lead the SeaHorses Mikawa to three straight playoff appearances.

Richman was pursued by half a dozen NBA teams for assistant coaching opportunities this offseason.

Veteran NBA forward E.J. Liddell has reached a two-year agreement with Aris BC in Greece. Liddell will depart the NBA after four NBA seasons.

Originally drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, Liddell missed his rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered during Summer League. He later signed a two-way contract with New Orleans before signing a multi-year deal with the Pelicans in 2023.

Liddell was traded twice in the summer of 2024 from New Orleans to the Alanta Hawks. Then, the 6-foot-6 forward was traded to the Phoenix Suns, who subsequently waived him. Liddell then signed a two-way deal with the Chicago Bulls for the 2024-25 season, before playing on a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets this past season.

In his three seasons in the G League, Liddell has averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He's appeared in 46 NBA games over three healthy seasons with the Pelicans, Bulls and Nets.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league is moving forward with plans to launch NBA Europe, revealing a 16-team structure that will include 12 permanent franchises and four open slots available to any European club through a modified promotion and relegation format.

"The structure is in place," Silver said. "So what we are planning to launch is, essentially, a 16-team league, 12 permanent franchises, and then the ability for, frankly, any club in Europe to play in in those remaining slots. So a modified open league or modified closed league, depending on how you want to look at it."

Silver said prospective franchise groups include both existing European clubs and newly formed organizations looking to establish teams in cities without top-level basketball currently.

"Some are existing franchises that play in Europe, and then there's groups that are coming together and want to launch teams in cities that don't have top-level basketball right now," he said.

The league's relationship with the Euroleague, European club basketball's premier existing competition, remains a work in progress. Silver indicated the NBA prefers to find a path toward integration but is prepared to proceed independently if necessary.

"In terms of the Euroleague, discussions are ongoing with them. It's our hope that we can find a way to integrate these operations with the Euroleague, but we will move forward either way," Silver said.

Evan Fournier was named EuroLeague Final Four MVP as he led Olympiacos to the 2026 EuroLeague title. Fournier scored 20 points in the victory over Real Madrid in the final game.

The 6-foot-6 wing scored 10 points off the bench to lead Olympiacos over Fenerbahce in the semifinals. Fournier totaled nine rebounds and eight assists over the two games in the Final Four.

Alec Peters added 16 points in the championship game for Olympiacos. Trey Lyles led Real Madrid with 24 points, while Mario Hezonja added 19 points.

Joe Ingles has confirmed he will sign with Melbourne United on a two-year deal. Ingles began his career in 2006 with the South Dragons and won an NBL championship with the club.

After leaving Australia in 2009, Ingles spent three seasons playing in Spain for Granada and Barcelona before joining Maccabi Tel Aviv for the 2013-14 season. Ingles then left for the NBA ahead of the 2014-15 season when initially joining the Los Angeles Clippers before settling in with the Utah Jazz.

Ingles' tenure with the Jazz ended with a torn ACL in January 2022. Ingles went on to have stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic before spending the past two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

"Coming home to Melbourne feels incredibly special," Ingles said.

"To return to where my professional career began almost 20 years ago is something I don't take for granted.

"So much has happened since then, but Melbourne has always felt like home.

"We're really excited to reconnect with the community here, and to be closer to family and friends again. After so many years overseas, that part means a lot to us."

As the 2026 NBA Draft Combine progresses this week, several Early Entry Candidates are making decisions on their future. Ebuka Okorie of Stanford, Henri Veesaar of North Carolina, Isaiah Evans of Duke and Germany's Jack Kayil have all shared that they are staying in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Okorie averaged 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals as a freshman for the Cardinal. The 6-foot-2 points guard shot 46.5% from the field, 35.4% on three-pointers and 83.2% on free throws.

Veesaar had a breakout season for the Tar Heels as a junior. The 7-foot big man out of Estonia averaged 17 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Veesaar also shot 61% from the field, including 42.6% on 3.0 three-point attempts per game.

Evans doubled his production across the board in his sophomore season with the Blue Devils. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 15 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 36% on 7.4 three-point attempts per game.

Kayil spent last season with Alba Berlin in Germany, after playing the previous year in Serbia. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 12 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 50 games across all competitions.