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NBA star Rui Hachimura has been selected for the Japanese men's national team's training camp for the second round of the 2027 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers later this month, the Japan Basketball Association said Monday. The selection comes as Hachimura has recently expressed his intention to return to play for Japan after distancing himself from the national team over concerns about its management following the 2024 Paris Olympics. Free agent Yuki Kawamura, who played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2025-2026 season, is also among 14 players who will join the training camp starting on Aug. 11.
Bulletproof evidence or full agreement on the findings and proposed settlement are the two paths to a faster conclusion. NBPA executive director David Kelly stated in the ESPN report that none of what he’s seen thus far from Wachtell Lipton’s findings is worthy of punishment, but we have no idea what he’s actually seen. There is a growing belief now, with reporting that the investigation is in fact over and the league is sifting through its findings, that the main delay will now stem from trying to find a punishment Ballmer will accept. At the end of the day, this is the richest owner in the league and the estimated third-richest owner in all of sports, and Silver will want to maintain that relationship.
Darius Miles: ‘Him and our assistant coach, man, Dennis Johnson was like my god. DJ used to put us in check, but he was our guy. I love DJ, man. RIP DJ.’ Mike Bibby: ‘He was cool?’ Darius Miles: ‘What? The best. You wouldn't even think he was DJ. He was just like, I'm like, man, this Dennis Johnson, like how he talking to us, like he straight off the street. We related to him so much that he was the guy that we can lean on for anything when we got to tripping or getting in our feelings and stuff. He would come talk to us and check us and all that stuff. You always find that assistant coach that you really, really rock with.’
As the Chicago Bulls approach the fall with an open roster spot, they’ve been linked to LA Clippers restricted free agent guard Bennedict Mathurin. The Bulls’ reported interest in Mathurin, though, has been overstated, according to a league source who was granted anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations.
The Bulls recognize how early they sit in this rebuild, and the desire for talent at any position will trump stylistic need for a roster still discovering its long-term identity. Mathurin, who turned 24 in June, remains a talented young scorer who could be worth a flyer. But Chicago values two things at this stage: roster flexibility and acquiring future assets. Mathurin made roughly $9.2 million this past season, and his next contract is widely expected to exceed that figure in annual value.
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While it remains possible the Bulls use that room on Mathurin or someone else to fill their final roster spot, they remain fixated on maintaining cap and roster flexibility. Given the Bulls’ priorities, they are reluctant to enter into any long-term commitments. General manager Bryson Graham has signaled a preference for short-term deals with limited guarantees, having inked guard Norman Powell and center Zach Collins to two-year contracts with a team option in Year 2.
Marc Stein: The Pelicans and Bulls remain engaged suitors for Clippers RFA Bennedict Mathurin, says one source close to the process. The source adds: "Dallas has not expressed interest at a serious level" thus far. @MikeAScotto reported today that Milwaukee has joined the Mathurin chase.
The Denver Nuggets remain interested in retaining restricted free agent forward Peyton Watson amid sign-and-trade interest from the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Clippers. Denver’s price tag in any sign-and-trade scenario has shifted to at least one first-round pick and one notable player, per multiple reports, and confirmed by HoopsHype.
While the Los Angeles Clippers remain interested in re-signing restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin, the New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks have expressed sign-and-trade interest in the 24-year-old swingman, league sources told HoopsHype. With that said, there’s work to be done by each team if they’re going to add Mathurin.
Sources say the 23-year-old Kuminga wants an annual deal in the $15-20 million range, which would necessitate a sign-and-trade with Atlanta involving either swingman Max Strus or Dennis Schroder. The Hawks, already with 17 players on the roster and incredibly close to the luxury tax, would have to cooperate — and actually want what Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers or Milwaukee Bucks are willing to offer in a sign-and-trade.
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New York has been conservative with allowing helipads on tops of buildings since 1977, when a helicopter tipped over while attempting to land on the MetLife building in Midtown Manhattan. Some remain, but they are not for commercial use; instead, they are allowed for hospitals or police. Though he has yet to change the city’s policies, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on further restrictions for air travel, saying last April that “we must end non-essential helicopter flights immediately.” Conditions must be ideal. Visibility is the most common reason for helicopter delays or cancellations. And remember, the environment around James matters here. LA Clippers wing Kawhi Leonard famously commuted from San Diego via helicopter, while Kobe Bryant choppered from his home in Orange County, Calif., to Los Angeles Lakers games. But that was in Southern California, where skies are clearer than they are in the Northeast. Fog is common in the New York-to-Philadelphia corridor, especially in the mornings.
Anthony Slater: "Rui Hachimura is a guy that (Warriors) looked at. They wouldn't have gone to the full mid-level type number that they were willing to get to for LeBron James because again that would have cost Moses Moody on a trade and then a Draymond Green pay cut that clearly Draymond was executing only for LeBron James."
NBABase: The Raptors are refusing to complete the trade for Kawhi Leonard because they are unwilling to take on the risk of potential NBA penalties, per @ramonashelburne "They are not willing to assume those risks."
NBABase: Steve Ballmer is expected to aggressively fight the NBA legally if penalties are levied against him in the Kawhi Leonard investigation, per @VinceGoodwill "Steve Ballmer can lawyer up as well as anybody."