Category: Transactions

Longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Darius Songalia leaving team

Songalia hopes to land the head coaching gig for his native Lithuanian National Team.

At the same time that the San Antonio Spurs‘ front office is adding coaches to the organization at the G League level, there is also some turnover with the parent team’s bench of assistant coaches. Per a recent report by NBC News 4 San Antonio’s Dusty Garza, longtime assistant Spurs coach Darius Songalia has elected to step down from that role.

A six-year veteran of iconic San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich‘s coaching staff, Songalia reportedly may have his eyes on a major role elsewhere. According to Garza, the “former Lithuanian national team star has been speaking to various portals about taking over Lithuania’s national team as its new head coach.”

“We reached the end of the road, and it was time to change the situation, as I had no opportunities to move up,” said Songalia. “I no longer wanted to just sit on the second assistant bench.”

“The first ‘Spurs’ bench assistants all have four-year contracts, so I had no chance to advance,” he added. “We talked about this with Pop.”

“And he said it would be better for me to change something, as there would be no room to advance with this team. We decided together that I would leave.”

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Scotto: San Antonio Spurs sign guard Brandon Boston Jr.

The San Antonio Spurs have added another depth player to their roster for the 2024-25 season soon to arrive.

The San Antonio Spurs have added another depth player to their roster for the 2024-25 season soon to arrive. “The … Spurs and Brandon Boston Jr. have agreed to a deal,” reports Michael Scotto of our sister site HoopsHype. “The 22-year-old guard will compete for a roster spot.”

“He spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers,” adds Scotto, where he put up a total of 5.2 points, and 1.8 rebounds per game with the Clips. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 185 lbs., Boston is a long and intriguing option for a San Antonio squad with some exceptionally long options already on the roster.

The deal is presumably for the minimum and a single season, a prove-it opportunity that the Georgia native could leverage into a bigger deal with some luck.

Drafted out of the University of Kentucky by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2021 NBA draft, Boston is also young enough to grow into a larger role with the Spurs at 22.

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Woj: San Antonio Spurs hire Scott King as Austin Spurs head coach

This will help to shore up San Antonio’s player developmental pipeline.

The San Antonio Spurs organization have themselves a new coach according to recent reporting from ESPN senior reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. But before you start getting worried about moving on from iconic Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, it is not the parent club that is getting a new coach.

Woj reports that the “San Antonio Spurs are hiring New York Knicks player development coach Scott King as the head coach of the G League Austin Spurs,” which will help to shore up San Antonio’s player developmental pipeline in an era where the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) demands successful teams must do so.

The Spurs are still several seasons away from needing to navigate the potential pitfalls of operating as a second apron ball club.

But perhaps with a player as promising (and impactful) as Victor Wembanyama on the team, they may also need to lean on such options less.

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Report: Spurs send Devonte’ Graham to Charlotte Hornets

The San Antonio Spurs have sent Devonte’ Graham to the Charlotte Hornets, where he will be waived and become an unrestricted free agent.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, The San Antonio Spurs are sending Devonte’ Graham and a second-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte is expected to waive the veteran guard, allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency in the coming days.

Graham joined the Spurs in 2023 as part of a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. He played in 23 regular season games throughout 2023-24, averaging 5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game. Graham rose to prominence with the Hornets between 2018 and 2021. He finished in the top-five of Most Improved Player voting in the 2019-20 season. However, since leaving Charlotte, Graham has struggled to build on the strong start to his career.

San Antonio will be clearing $12.6 million in cap space if they don’t take anyone back in the deal with Charlotte, thus providing them additional flexibility moving forward.

 

San Antonio recently signed Chris Paul to a one-year $ 11 million deal. They also drafted UCONN guard Stephon Castle with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. As such, Graham’s opportunities for the upcoming season projected to be significantly limited, now he will have the chance to find a new team and attempt to resurrect his career after a difficult few years.

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Why did the Chicago Bulls extend Marc Eversley?

Are we rewarding inaction now?

Fans of the Chicago Bulls are rightfully irked that their favorite ball club has not made any moves of note to improve the team in three years. So when news broke that ownership of the team elected to give Bulls general manager Marc Eversley a raise, it was not much of a surprise to hear that fans were puzzled at best about the move.

One can make a solid case for extending Chicago head coach Billy Donovan, given it has not been his work that has held the Bulls back. But when considering the Arturas Karnisovas and now this extension, what is being rewarded becomes less clear.

The hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast recently spent a moment reflecting on the wisdom of such a move by the Reinsdorf clan.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to see if you agree with the point of view they are bringing to bear on extending Eversley.

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Billy Donovan III named Windy City Bulls head coach

Donovan III got his start as an assistant with the G League Bulls squad last season, and had been a video coordinator for Chicago before that.

Not only will Billy Donovan remain head coach of the Chicago Bulls next season, but Billy Donovan has been named the head coach of the Bulls’ G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. If you are confused by how Donovan will pull such a feat off given the two clubs play on the same night fairly often, it’s because it’s a different Billy Donovan taking the helm for Windy City — Billy Donovan III.

Son of the Bulls coach, NBC Sports Chicago’s Ryan Taylor reports that Bulls PR has confirmed the hire. “Donovan III will replace Henry Domercant, who has been the head coach of the G-League affiliate since 2021,” writes Taylor.

“Domercant could land on Billy Donovan’s coaching staff with the Bulls in the NBA,” he adds.

Donovan III got his start as an assistant coach with the G League Bulls squad last season, and had been a video coordinator for the Chicago Bulls for two seasons before that.

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The Chicago Bulls have officially hired former Wizards coach Wes Unseld, Jr. as their lead assistant coach

Unseld served as the Wizards’ top coach from 2021 until this current NBA offseason.

The Chicago Bulls have officially hired former Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld, Jr. as their lead assistant coach for the 2024-25 season, with Unseld bringing a high level of experience to helm Bulls head coach Billy Donovan’s bench.

Unseld served as the Wizards’ top coach from 2021 until this current NBA offseason. Previously, he has had assistant coaching stints for the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, and, under his father as general manager, the Wizards at the start of his coaching career. He also played as a small forward for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays before making the leap to the other side of the clipboard.

The hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, sat down to take a closer look at the hire and what it means for the Bulls next season.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Oft-injured Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball picks up $21.4 million player option, as expected

It will be interesting to see whether the Bulls’ front office sees him as part of Chicago’s future.

To the surprise of pretty much no one, veteran Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has picked up his player option on the final year of his current contract with the Bulls, worth about $21.4 million, according to recent reporting from senior ESPN news breaker Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ball, who has spent the bulk of the last three seasons sidelined with a serious knee injury that has resisted rehabilitation, has shown signs of progress in recent months, and may be back on the court next season. With most of his four-season, $80 million deal now behind him, it will be interesting to see whether the Bulls’ front office sees him as part of Chicago’s future.

With the emergence of reserve guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, the age curve of the team may be about to undergo a radical transformation. After reports that Zach LaVine and perhaps also Nikola Vucevic may be on the move, the direction of this team may be towards flux.

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San Antonio Spurs parent firm Sixth Street to debut sports fund

Based in San Francisco, California, Sixth Street owns a 20% stake in the Spurs.

One of the San Antonio Spurs‘ partners in its ownership group, Sixth Street, reportedly plans to debut the first fund under its umbrella dedicated to investment in sports, according to Bloomberg’s Gillian Tan. Per the Bloomberg reporter, the fund will be used to invest in “sports teams and leagues, media rights and related businesses.”

Based in San Francisco, California, Sixth Street owns a 20% stake in the Spurs, and has previously invested $2.5 billion in sports-related investments as part of their portfolio of over $75 billion in overall investments. They are joined by Michael Dell and the Holt family in owning the Spurs, and co-invested with Sheryl Sandberg in Bay Football Club, a National Women’s Soccer League team.

The group has also invested in stadium operation rights for Spain’s Real Madrid soccer club, have bought a quarter of FC Barcelona’s La Liga television rights, and other, similar investments.

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Chicago Bulls re-sign Javonte Green for rest of the 2023-24 season, cut Terry Taylor

The Chicago Bulls have made some moves to shake up their roster a bit as they head into the NBA’s 2024 postseason.

The Chicago Bulls have made some moves to shake up their roster a bit as they head into the NBA’s 2024 postseason. The Bulls have signed veteran Chicago wing Javonte Green to an end-of-season deal ahead of the Bulls’ play-in tournament tilts, according to recent reporting from NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson.

Per Johnson, the transaction makes Green playoff eligible — and given the Radford alum has a proven track record in the playoffs vs. Terry, who has not shown much with Chicago — the move makes sense for the Bulls’ postseason aspirations. “Green is a fan and organizational favorite who is just getting fully healthy after undergoing knee surgery last season while with the Bulls,” writes Johnson.

“He played 10 games in the G League with the Golden State Warriors affiliate before signing his 10-day contract with the Bulls.”

In that 10-day deal, Green put up an average of 5 points and 3.7 rebounds over the three games he played with the Bulls this season.

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