Category: Basketball

The Detroit Pistons just added some defense and toughness to their already impressive wing rotation for next season.

Detroit has signed veteran Javonte Green to a one-year contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Green becomes the 14th player on the Pistons roster for next season, although it's not yet known if this is a fully guaranteed contract.

Green, 32, is known for his defense and averaged 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds a game last season, splitting time between the Pelicans (who bought him out) and the Cavaliers (who jumped at the chance to sign him as a free agent).

Green joins a deep wing rotation that likely sees Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson starting, with new additions in Detroit Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson coming off the bench behind them. Marcus Sasser and Ron Holland II also should be in the mix. For a Detroit team that wants to see its defense move into the top 10 in the league this season (it finished last season 11th), adding Green to the mix on the wing is a plus, giving coach J.B. Bickerstaff another solid option in his rotation.

The charges against former NBA player Marcus Morris Sr. for fraud involving outstanding debts to two Las Vegas casinos have been dropped after the markers were paid off, according to court documents reviewed by KLAS television 8 in Las Vegas.

Morris was arrested in Florida late last month on what were officially fraud charges related to insufficient funds to cover a total of $265,000 in lines of credit to gamble at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, with these issues dating back to 2024. The casinos simply wanted their money back, and once the lines of credit were repaid, the charges were dismissed.

From the start, Morris strongly denied that there was any malice or intent to defraud anyone involved, as he explained in a conversation with his twin brother Markieff Morris on their YouTube channel.

"Don't ever put my name with nothing but fraud. This is not fraud activity. I have never wrote a check to no casinos in exchange for money that I can put in my pocket. I wrote exchange for credit thinking that you know the source of the income and you know what I've done in the past years to pay it back plus put the money back that I chose to take from y'all to gamble with. So you know I want to just clear that up and then you could take it how you want."

This case is now in the past. Morris played 13 seasons in the NBA for the Rockets, Suns, Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Clippers, 76ers and most recently, the Cavaliers. Morris did not play in the league last season and does not have a contract for the upcoming season.

Atlanta was aggressive this offseason in retooling its roster. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who brings much-needed shot blocking to Atlanta. The Hawks sign-and-traded for Nickeil Alexander-Walker to add shooting and more defense on the wing. The Hawks went out and got Luke Kennard. Add in Jalen Johnson's return to health, along with the potential of a Zaccharie Risacher leap in his second season, and the Hawks look like a potential top-four team in the East.

The one area Atlanta was not aggressive this summer: Talking contract extension with Trae Young. While that may leave Young frustrated, both sides appear resigned to the idea of Young playing out this season on his current contract and figuring out the future next summer, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.

"Yet league sources tell me there are no plans for Young and the Hawks to engage in extension talks this summer. This, though, does not necessarily come as a surprise... Sources say Young's side has actually been resigned for some time to the prospect of seeing out the final guaranteed year on his current contract rather than securing an extension, like his current contract, worth in excess of $200 million. He'd then have to make a decision about his $49 million player option for 2026-27."

To be clear, Young isn't looking to leave the Hawks and they aren't looking to trade him.

This is a matter of the Atlanta organization wanting to play this season out with this improved roster, see what things look like and how it all meshes, and then make financial commitments next summer, when Porzingis will be a free agent and Young can opt out of the $48.9 million final year of his contract and hit the market as well. The risk for the Hawks is that Young opts out and signs elsewhere, and they lose him for nothing. However, considering how tight the free agent market has been in the apron era, Atlanta may be willing to take that risk.

Next June, the Hawks also have the Pelicans' first-round pick unprotected (part of New Orleans trading up in this year's draft to get Derik Queen). If New Orleans struggles this season — a genuine possibility — this could end up being a high draft pick in a deep draft at the top, which could have Atlanta tweaking its vision for the future.

For Young, he can turn his frustration into an opportunity — if the four-time All-Star can spark the Hawks' offense and lead this team to a high seed and a playoff run, his value goes up heading into the next round of negotiations (with the threat of him becoming a free agent and just walking away looming). However it plays out, it looks more and more like Young will not be joining Luka Doncic, De'Aaron Fox and other stars who signed extensions this summer.

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan was in Poland training with the nation's national team when he suffered a calf injury that will keep him out of EuroBasket, the Polish Basketball Federation announced.

"I am very disappointed, but due to a calf muscle injury, unfortunately, I will not be able to play for Poland at this year's EuroBasket," Sochan said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "I've been working hard for this over the last few months, and the time I trained and played with the national team was amazing. It's a special group and I really enjoyed being a part of this team. Fortunately, the doctors predict that I will be fully healthy by the time the start of the preparation camp before the upcoming NBA season. I want to thank my teammates, coaches and the whole staff, especially the fans in Poland, for their support. I appreciate it very much and know that although I will not be able to be with you, I will support Poland with all my heart."

Sochan is headed back to San Antonio to continue his recovery, which, as he said, is not expected to keep him out of training camp.

"In the face of injury, Jeremy received professional help in Poland," Spurs GM Brian Wright said in the statement. "Cooperation with the staff and management of KoszKadry has always been exemplary. In this situation, however, the best option is to return to San Antonio."

Sochan's mother is from Poland, which led to his connection with their national team. Sochan was the only full-time NBA player on the Polish roster, but they also have Igor Milicic, who played last season at Tennessee and is set to be in the Philadelphia 76ers training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract.

Sochan, 22, averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds a game for the Spurs last season and is extension eligible before the season starts (if no deal is reached, the former No. 9 pick will hit restricted free agency next summer).