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Nikola Jokic to play at the Eurobasket?
Since the end of the Olympic Games in Paris, Serbia has been holding its breath waiting for one decision: According to Meridian Sport, the best basketball player in the world is close to making that decision. And fans in Serbia have reason to be optimistic. Jokić is expected to soon give an official nod to the invitation from head coach Svetislav Pešić, with whom he has already spoken. The plan is for the Serbian team—with the world’s best player—to go for European gold.
The Clippers recently re-signed James Harden and added Brook Lopez and John Collins to go with Kawhi Leonard. The team won 50 games this past season despite having Leonard play in just 37 of them and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Nuggets in seven games. “We just thought the Clippers presented an opportunity for Brad to really be the best version of himself, to get back to being exactly who he is, which is a multiple time All-Star and All-NBA player,” Bartelstein said. Beal made three All-Star teams and an All-NBA team in his 11 years in Washington.
Katy Winge: Nikola Jokic is officially on tour in China with his shoe partner 361Degrees and someone made him a horse head out of his shoes From the @meridiansportrs Instagram page
Nikola Jokić is officially on tour in China with his shoe partner 361Degrees and someone made him a horse head out of his shoes
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) July 17, 2025
From the @meridiansportrs Instagram page ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/y4j7QDmoBi
What was like your initial reaction when you heard about the trade? Cam Johnson: It was actually—I was surprisingly really, really calm about it, you know what I mean? Like, I’ve had so many phone calls over the past year that I thought would be the one. Where that's the trade—you know, your heart just skips one beat. You know what? I got this phone call and I heard my agent’s voice and I’m like, “All right… all right, let’s hear it.”
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“Why did you feel like Jonas Valanciunas was the right fit?” David Adelman: “You can play through him. I said this the other day — and I really meant it — I thought people forget how good DeMarcus Cousins was for us that second half of that season. Jonas is a guy you can post up against smaller lineups. He’s a proficient player down there, very good dribble handoff player, you can play him off the elbows. He’s a guy those guards can play through. And when Jok doesn’t play, you have a legitimate starting center that we just happen to be lucky enough to have as our backup. So we’re super blessed to get him. Cannot wait for him to get to the United States — get to Denver. We’re so excited to have him.”
“When it comes to the last couple weeks for you, what went into the assembly of this roster?” David Adelman: “Yeah, I mean it was a lot of conversations with Ben and John and Josh. I think we were trying to find pieces that fit — not just names that people knew. We feel like all these guys do complement the group that’s been here, the group that’s accomplished so much over all these years in Denver. And I can tell you right now just from my messaging with Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic — those guys are excited. And that brings something new for us. They feel like a new gym is going to be there. And for those guys who have been around for so long, sometimes you need that. You need a little bit of change, and this change is a good change.”
Michael Scotto on Russell Westbrook: It was interesting certainly how he ended in Denver to get to this point. So, usually when you're going to decline an option, you'd almost think like something was lined up, but we're still here at this point.
On whether the Nuggets have a minutes benchmark they want to keep Nikola Jokic under after he was fourth in minutes per game last season: “We know that one of the most important things we have to do next season is take care of him, and make sure that he is the best version of himself if we’re lucky enough to get to that playoff spot. So yeah, it’s a concern. But it needs to be talked about. It needs to be done the right way. That’s what we’re gonna do.”
“He’s a bona fide, big-time center over the last decade who you can put in a bunch of different spots all over the floor,” Adelman told The Post. “And when I say ‘point center,’ I mean someone you can play through in the half-court. I don’t envision him getting a rebound and pushing the ball up. I do think some of the things we already do (work with him): playing five-out with back-side dribble handoffs, playing off the elbows, posting him up against smaller lineups, his ability to make others better. “It’s not the assist numbers that matter to me. It’s his ability to start ball movement through the impact of who he is. So he’s an enormous get. I’m super excited about getting him here, getting him acclimated.”
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“Those guys have to compete for spots. That’s new guys included. They all know that,” he said. “We’re very excited about some of the things those guys have done through their careers. We expect them to come to compete like they’ve done, and there’s a reason they’ve all played in rotations across the league. But this is going to be an open competition. I hope our young guys understand that. … And all those guys will complement Jonas. It’s gonna be the guys who earn these spots that get to play with him.”
Ryan Saunders set to be Grizzlies lead assistant
Michael Scotto: Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo will add Ryan Saunders as lead assistant coach, league sources told @hoopshype . Saunders was recently an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. Before that, Saunders was the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. First @DrewHill_DM .
Nikola Jokic to return to Serbian national team for 2025 EuroBasket
Nikola Jokic is expected to join Serbia in the upcoming 2025 EuroBasket. According to Meridian, Jokic is close to making the decision and officially accept the invitation of Serbia head coach Svetislav Pesic to become a member of the national team for a second straight summer.
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