Some of the biggest NBA news comes from the other side of the planet, as Evan Fournier and the rest of Team France delivered a shocking upset against Team USA in the Olympics. Team USA lost two exhibition games ahead of Tokyo, and dropping their opener reduces the sports betting odds of Team USA defending their gold medal even further. The truth is that the NBA continues to grow as an international game, which means that there are a number of countries that can hang with the United States in any international competition.
As the off-season continues, let’s look at some news that could affect your NBA wagering for the fall.
NBA News: The Rumor Mill
Luka Doncic Ties Record in Olympic Debut
In his Olympic debut, Slovenian star Luka Doncic tied the second highest total in men’s basketball Olympic history dropping 48 on Argentina in a 118-100 win. Slovenia is participating in its first Olympics ever, propelled by Doncic’s heroics in a qualifying tournament. Doncic headed to Europe right after his NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, exited the first round in a seven-game series loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. Potential free agents have to be excited about possibly heading to Dallas to join Doncic after seeing his Olympic heroics — which would only make Dallas’ chances better next season. Doncic had 31 points in the first half and was able to coast in the second; he ended up tying Eddie Palubinskas’ 48-point total back in 1976 at the Montreal GAmes. Oscar Schmidt’s 55 points for Brazil in 1988 still stand as the record — but for NBA bettors, looking ahead to Doncic’s future with the Mavericks is the next logical step.
Grizzlies, Pelicans Swap Centers, Picks
The Memphis Grizzlies are in the process of finalizing a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans that would send center Jonas Valanciunas and the 17th overall pick in Thursday’s draft to the Crescent City. The Pelicans will send Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe and the 10th overall pick in the draft in return. The Pelicans want to open up some financial space in free agency when it opens next week, and so the Pelicans are also shipping the 2022 first-round pick from the Lakers (protected to 10) in the deal. The Pelicans (40) and Grizzlies (51) are also trading second-round picks in Thursday’s draft. This pushes the Grizzlies up into lottery territory in a draft that will be deep, and Adams and Bledsoe join a young core that already has playoff experience. This would allow the Pelicans to keep restricted free agent Lonzo Ball or go after the likes of All-Star Kyle Lowry with the $36 million in space they would have under the cap if both Ball and Josh Hart leave via free agency. Valanciunas was third in the NBA in rebounding, ias well as second in offensive rebounding last season, and he was third in double-doubles, trailing Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook. Both Adams and Bledsoe saw their production decline in New Orleans’ system and look to rejuvenate their game.
DeRozan Looks Set to Leave San Antonio
San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan put up some of the best numbers in his career, with 21.6 points and 6.9 assists per game, shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. It looks like he wants to ride those numbers to a different roster next season; in an interview with Shannon Sharpe from FOX Sports, DeRozan responded to a question about next season in this way: “It’s all about winning at this point. Going into my 13th season and seeing all these guys just competing for a championship. At this point, you got to weigh out the opportunity to winning a championship kind of more.” The Spurs have missed the postseason the last two seasons, and DeRozan is ready to play for a contender. The Lakers had been in talks for a trade before last season but acquired Dennis Schroder instead. If DeRozan were to head to the Lakers this time around, he would have to take a discount to join Anthony Davis and LeBron James — and surely the Knicks and several other teams will come calling as well, so keep an eye on this story.
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