NBA News, Rumors, NCAA Basketball, Euroleague (2024)

The Detroit Pistons have dismissed Monty Williams as their head coach. Williams spent one year with Detroit, going 14-68, including an NBA record 28-game losing streak.

Williams is owed more than $65 million over the next five years. The Pistons gave Williams the then largest contract for a head coach in NBA history when they hired him last offseason. Williams had planned on sitting out last season after he was fired by the Phoenix Suns, but the Pistons' financial offer was ultimately too lucrative to pass up.

New President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon was said to be undergoing a thorough evaluation of both the coaching staff and the roster before making any decisions. The ultimate decision to move on from Williams was made by Pistons ownership.

Williams was reportedly "blindsided" by the decision by the Pistons to fire him.

Detroit will now have a third coach in as many seasons, after Dwane Casey was re-assigned following the 2022-23 season and Williams was let go after one year. The Pistons also have decisions to make with the roster, including extension discussions with Cade Cunningham and how to use a projected $64 million in cap space this offseason.

Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a four-year, $189.5 million contract. That is the maximum salary Siakam could get on a four-year deal with Indiana.

The Pacers acquired Siakam ahead of last season's trade deadline. Indiana sent the Toronto Raptors three first-round picks, Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and Kira Lewis Jr. in exchange for the All-Star forward.

In 39 games with Indiana, Siakam averaged 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He proved to be a great fit alongside Tyrese Haliburton and in the Pacers up-tempo system.

Siakam is represented by Todd Ramasarand Jaafar Choufani.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker

LeBron James and Bronny James appear to have reached a place where they are more interested in what is best for their individual careers at this point of time rather than becoming teammates in a suboptimal situation.

LeBron James could become a free agent this offseason, which has led to speculation that a team drafting Bronny could also acquire LeBron.

"LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny," Rich Paul told ESPN on Wednesday. "If he does, he does. But if he doesn't, he doesn't. There's no deal made that it's guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don't need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn't re-sign. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now."

HostDanny Lerouxand draft expert Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and the Game Theory podcast preview the 2024 NBA Draft.

They discuss the Hawks’ decision at #1 plus the overall top of the draft, which players Sam and Danny are higher and lower on than the general consensus, how the playoffs affected their thought process and much more.

Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed.

James Borrego will be among the candidates for the Detroit Pistons head coaching vacancy. Borrego has interviewed with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers during this head coaching cycle.

Borrego is currently the top assistant coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Borrego was previously a head coach with the Charlotte Hornets.

Trajan Langdon, who was hired away from the Pelicans to run the Pistons' front office this offseason, overlapped with Borrego in New Orleans.

The Atlanta Hawks will soon work out Zaccharie Risacher, who is now the favorite to be picked first overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Atlanta holds the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Hawks have been unable to schedule a workout for Alex Sarr.

Sarr is considered by many to be a contender to be the first player picked. Atlanta and Sarr could still schedule a workout before next week's draft.

As it stands right now, the Hawks seem to be deciding between Risacher and Donovan Clingan with the first pick. Risacher has consistently been considered a potential top pick. Clingan has risen slightly in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Atlanta has also been rumored to be considering trading back in the draft. One popular spot is dropping to the fourth pick, which is currently owned by the San Antonio Spurs. Some have speculated the Spurs could move up to draft Risacher to pair him with Victor Wembanyama for years to come.

Donovan Clingan could have an interesting 2024 NBA Draft night. Clingan is rumored to be in consideration to be drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the first overall pick. If the UConn center isn't drafted first by the Hawks, he could fall a bit further down the board.

One thing that could stop a slide for Clingan is a team trading up to draft him. Several teams are considering trading up for the 7-foot-2 center, if he's not selected with the first two picks by the Hawks or Washington Wizards.

The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and Charlotte Hornets hold the third through sixth picks. None of those teams are in the market to draft Clingan. That could put them in position to trade back with a team that needs a young center. The Memphis Grizzlies are known to have interest in Clingan, and he's unlikely to still be on the board when Memphis picks with the ninth overall pick.

Veteran guard Sergio Rodriguez has announced his retirement. Rodriguez played professionally with various teams across various leagues for the last 21 seasons.

Rodriguez spent most of his career with Real Madrid, split over two stints with the club. This includes the last two seasons, where he was a backup for the 2023 EuroLeague champions and the 2024 runners-up.

Rodriguez spent five years in the NBA. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks from 2006 through 2010. Rodriguez then returned to the NBA and played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2016-17 season.

During his 21-year career, Rodriguez collected several accolades. He won the EuroLeague three times and was named EuroLeague MVP in 2014. He also won several team and individual honors with teams in Spain, Russia and Italy.

The Philippines submitted their roster for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and there was a notable absence. Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was not included in the roster. Clarkson played for the Philippines in last summer's FIBA World Cup.

Head coach Tim Cone said he's relying on the same core group of players that took part in the FIBA Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers in February. That group did not include Clarkson, as he was playing with the Jazz at the time of that tournament.

"This tournament (FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers) is preparation for the next one. We're building chemistry, building our style of play, figuring out our philosophy, and trying to create a buy-in with the players," Cone said at the time.

"That's what this one is all about for us. Winning is important, but honestly less important than doing those things because that's gonna bring us to the next one and make us grow," Cone added.

The Philippines will take part in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia. They are in Group A with Latvia and Georgia. The winner of the group will play Brazil, Cameroon or Montenegro for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Cameron Brink suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during the Los Angeles Sparks' game on Tuesday. Brink was the No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft and entered Tuesday's game averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

Brink appeared to slip while driving to the basket in the first quarter of the game.

Brink was expected to participate on the United States 3x3 team in this summer's Olympics.