NBA

Negotiations between the Kings and Vezenkov begin, Sacramento opens berth in the 2023 NBA draft

Published

3 years ago

June 23, 2023

Jon

Negotiations between the Kings and Vezenkov begin, Sacramento opens berth in the 2023 NBA draft

This opened up an opportunity for Kings and Vezhenkov to start negotiations. Depth chart, needs, players Sacramento has invested in and moves in the 2023 NBA draft, Olympiakos potential win. Sportish analyses.

The 2023 NBA draft is over and that means the Sacramento Kings can now officially trade Sasha Vezhenkov.

NBA teams don’t need June 30th and the start of free agency to talk to players whose draft rights they retain, and since Vezhenkov himself – ideally – wants to work out his issue as soon as possible, it’s expected that both sides sit together immediately sit down at the same table to see if their “wants” match.

Given that the Kings’ agents and coaches made five trips to Greece, and also given that “Greek voices” in the organization thoroughly analyzed the profile of the MVP of the EuroLeague 2022/23 season, one can be sure say that the Kings they want Vezhenkov from the coming time. The question, of course, is what money to offer him and what role, how many minutes in the rotation with which prospect.

The current Kings depth map:

PG: DeAaron Fox, Davion Mitchell
SG: Kevin Herter, Malik Monk, Colby Jones *
SF: Jaylen Slawson *
PF: Keegan Murray,
C: Domantas Sabonis

Point guard PJ Dozier and small forward Kessler Edwards’ contracts are not guaranteed. The latter has a chance to stay as he is cheap ($1,927,896) and can play as a second or third small forward, is a good athlete and a developing basketball player.

* Unsigned rookies with an asterisk (see below).

Anunoby – Siakam don’t change anything

In recent days, the names of Ouji Anunoby and Pascal Siakam have been quite loud at the Kings. However, even if the Sacramento team manages (because it will be a feat) to get one of the two, the facts in the Vezenkov case will not change.

If Anunoby is taken over, he will play on the three, Murray on the four and Sabonis on the five. If Siakam is taken over, he will play on the four, Murray will drop to the three and Sabonis will stay on the five.

Put simply, Vezhenkov isn’t earmarked for a starting XI spot (at least for now) as the Kings look for a starter to fill the void left by Harrison Barnes’ imminent departure. Sasha is wanted for the first forward change, at least for the first season, at least for the first few months, until he settles in (only if he makes the trip to Sacramento, of course) and shows early on if he’s up to the standard.

Why do we find Anunoby or Siakam difficult to find among the kings?

Because for the former, the royals have no package to beat the competition in a potential auction and because the latter is reluctant to commit before admitting he will sign an early contract extension.

What the Kings got in the 2023 NBA draft

There were rumors that Sacramento wanted Chris Murray, Keegan Murray’s twin, but the Portland Trail Blazers took him 23rd. The Kings had the next pick but gave it to the Dallas Mavericks (Olivier-Maxan’s Prosper, a 20th -year-old). 2min.03 forward).

At No. 34 (above the Celtics), they brought in Colby Jones, a big guard who averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists at Xavier this year, while at No. 54 they brought in 23-year-old guard/forward Jalen Slawson Holten played at Fairman and averaged 15.6 points. with 39.4% shots, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per 30.7 minutes in 36 games. Neither Jones nor Slawson are considered players with the prospect of taking on a role immediately.

What do you have to offer Vezenkov?

One of the Kings’ real priorities was dealing center Rhyshon Holmes. They wanted to get rid of the $25 million they received over the next two years (the 2024-25 season is an option) in order to have more flexibility and not (primarily, but not exclusively) rely on the two exemptions available to be (Mid-level, about $12.3 million per year for 1-4 years and semi-annually, about $4.5 million per year for 1-2 years). And they did when they sent him to the Dallas Mavericks for the celebration.

In theory, the mid-level exception “cuts off” Vezenkov’s status, but exceeds the earnings of players like Monk (6th man) and Murray (starter), while the bi-annual for the Bulgarian superstar he make his is significantly low to make his dream come true and compete with the best players in the world, but if he accepts that amount he will get exactly what he would have gotten at Olympiakos with the new adjustment decided for him.

Anyway, money aside, it’s now clear that Sacramento now has plenty of space, plenty of minutes, and a huge need for forwards.

What will Olympiacos get?

Vezenkov’s acquisition is worth $1.5 million, the deadline is mid-July. Of this amount, according to NBA (Excluded International Payment) regulations, the Kings can cover 50%, the rest ($750,000) must be paid by the athlete according to an agreement with Olympiacos on installments and their payment dates.

However, the Kings will try to add that amount to the total amount they are going to offer Sasha so he doesn’t have a… hushura like they’ve had players like Facundo Cabaso in the past who’s still paying and will pay for a few more years the loan he picked up to move from Real Madrid to the NBA.

Put simply…

The Kings want Vezhenkov and they showed it with the crushing and determined way they went after him last season. And of course with their moves in the 2023 NBA draft.

Vezhenkov wants to play in the NBA and make his dream come true.

Both sides want to shake hands, but each will try to do so on their own terms.

Sacramento returned to the playoffs after 16 years and is no longer in a period of despair while Sasha is having a good time at Olympiakos, he’s the hottest forward in Europe, he’s well paid and now the world worships him of the Piraeus team.

Negotiations will begin because, as mentioned earlier, league organizations can negotiate with players whose draft rights they own. However, we do not expect them to be completed immediately.

Logic says the Kings will try to work things out with Harrison Barnes (they want to keep him but interest in him is high), talk to Domantas Sabonis about an early extension and open the market for a starter at three (Khris Middleton ) ?) or at four (Kyle Kuzma?) before they see how much money they have for the best offer on Vezenkov.

The organization got his rights a year ago (they also have those of Dimitris Agravanis – Luka Mitrovic), want him, value him and now have a lot of space to offer him. We’ll wait a little longer for the money.

Source: sport 24

Jon

I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.

NBA

NBA: Jokic’s triple-double, loss to Houston, San Antonio win over Oklahoma

Published

21 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Paula

NBA: Jokic’s triple-double, loss to Houston, San Antonio win over Oklahoma

On the evening of December 25 and the night of December 26, five Christmas games were traditionally held as part of the NBA regular season.

The most important match of the match day was played in Oklahoma, where the Thunder hosted San Antonio.

The home team started the game better and were ahead for most of the first quarter, but they missed a move 0:11 into the quarter, allowing Spurs to take the lead 41:36. Oklahoma was unable to take the lead after that, but San Antonio maintained its lead by keeping the game under control and eventually won 117-102.

The Spurs have won all three games against the Thunder this season, while Oklahoma has lost just two of the other 28 games.

The most productive player of the match was Fox, who brought 29 points to San Antonio, while Vembanyama also scored a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lakers played Houston at home and suffered a crushing defeat.

The fate of the match was decided in the first quarter, when the Rockets won by 12 points (25:37). Afterwards, they increased their advantage by completely controlling the course of the match and eventually won with a score of 119:96.

For Houston, Thompson scored 26 points and Shengyun had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Denver and Minnesota closed out game day.

The first half of the match ended in a draw. Neither team managed to take a lead of more than 9 points, and Denver entered the big break with a 2-point lead at 57:55. In the third quarter, the Nuggets made an attack of 6:0 at the beginning and 10:2 in the middle, reaching a 16-point lead, and at the end of the quarter they were ahead +15 – 90:78. The Timberwolves did not give up and made a 16:2 move midway through the fourth quarter, reaching a lead of 107:108. This gave fans a tense ending; Edwards hit a three-pointer 2 seconds before the siren, sending the game into overtime at 115:115. And there Jokic played a decisive role and scored 18 points in 5 minutes, allowing the Nuggets to win 142:138.

Jokic scored 56 points in the NBA on Christmas Day, falling just four shy of Bernard King’s record. Nikola also recorded a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Murray had a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists.

NBA. Regular season. Christmas Day, 25-26 December

New York – Cleveland – 126:124 (23:38, 37:20, 24:38, 42:28)

New York: Brunson (34), Hart (15), Bridges (12), Towns (11 + 14 rebounds), Anunoby (8) – start; Clarkson (25), Kolek (16 + 9 assists), Diawara (5), Hookporty (0), Robinson (0 + 12 rebounds).

cleveland: Mitchell (34 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Garland (20 + 10 assists), Merrill (11), Allen (7 + 9 rebounds), Wade (6) – start; Tyson (16), E. Mobley (14 + 9 rebounds), Hunter (13), Bryant (3), Ball (0).

Oklahoma – San Antonio – 102:117 (36:41, 24:28, 19:26, 23:22)

Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (22), Hartenstein (13 + 12 rebounds), Jaylen Williams (12 + 6 assists), Holmgren (10 + 12 rebounds), Dort (8) – start; Caruso (12), K. Williams (8), Wiggins (5), Joe (5), Wallace (5), Carlson (2), Barnhizer (0), Youngblood (0).

San Antonio: Fox (29), Castle (19 + 7 assists), Barnes (15), Cornet (6), Vassell (5) – start; Vembanyama (19 + 11 rebounds), Harper (12), K. Johnson (9 + 7 rebounds), McLaughlin (3), Sohan (0), Shempeni (0), Brian (0), Olynyk (0), Waters (0).

Golden State – Dallas – 126:116 (40:28, 31:30, 29:31, 26:27)

Golden State: Curry (23), Butler (14 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Moody (12), Dr. Green (7), Post (6) – start; Melton (16), Horford (14), Podziemski (13 + 8 rebounds), Jackson-Davis (10), Payton II (6), Richard (5).

dallas: Flagg (27), Marshall (14), Washington (14 + 10 rebounds), Nembhard (4), Davis (3) – starter; Williams (26), Christie (13), Thompson (7), Gafford (6), Caleb Martin (2).

Lakers-Houston-96:119 (25:37, 28:26, 21:29, 22:27)

Lakers: Doncic (25 + 7 assists + 6 turnovers), James (18), Reeves (12), Ayton (10), Hachimura (0) – start; Vanderbilt (11), Smart (6), Larevia (5), James Jr. (3), Thiero (2), Knecht (2), Kleber (2).

Houston: Thompson (26 + 7 rebounds), Durant (25 + 9 assists), Smith (16 + 7 rebounds), Shengyun (14 + 12 rebounds + 6 turnovers), Eason (13) – start; Sheppard (13), Capela (6), Adams (4 + 9 rebounds), Tate (2), A. Holiday (0), Davison (0), Green (0), Okogie (0), Finney-Smith (0).

Denver – Minnesota – 142:138 (STARTING 32:29, 25:26, 35:23, 23:37, 27:23)

Denver: Jokic (56 + 16 rebounds + 15 assists + 5 turnovers), J. Murray (35 + 10 assists), Hardaway (19), Jones (12 + 9 rebounds), Watson (9) – start; B. Brown (7), Nnaji (2), Valanciunas (2), Strother (0).

Minnesota: Edwards (44 + 6 turnovers), Randle (32 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), McDaniels (21), Gobert (9 + 12 rebounds + 6 blocks), DiVincenzo (6 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists) – start; Reed (13), Hyland (11), Clark (2), Juzeng (0), Conley (0), Shannon (0).

tournament tables

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Source: Sport UA

Paula

I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.

NBA

NBA: Utah loses to Mikhailyuk, San Antonio beats Oklahoma

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2025

Paula

NBA: Utah loses to Mikhailyuk, San Antonio beats Oklahoma

14 games of the NBA regular season were played on the night of December 23-24.

“Utah” hosted “Memphis” and in the middle of the second quarter they were ahead by 15 points at 50:65, but then they made a move at 17:4 and returned to the match 67:69. In the third quarter, the Jazz managed to take the lead with 71:69 and the game was leveled, but the Grizzlies added points at the end of the quarter and took the lead again with 109:101 and then calmly maintained the advantage with 137:128.

Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk The player, who was in Utah’s top 5 and played 22 minutes, recorded 9 points (4/4 free throws, 1/4 two-pointers, 1/5 three-pointers), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul.

The most productive player of the match was Aldama, who scored 37 points for Memphis, while Spencer also recorded a double-double, adding 11 points and 13 assists.

In the main match of game day, San Antonio unexpectedly defeated Oklahoma.

During the three quarters, there was an even contest in which no team could gain a lead of more than 8 points, and the leader changed 16 times. The fate of the match winner was decided in the fourth quarter, and the 9:0 attack of the home team was effective in this, and then the advantage reached 12 points (98:86). San Antonio then controlled the course of the game and confidently cruised to victory, gaining an advantage of 130:110.

The top scorer of the winning team was Johnson, who scored 25 points, while Castle scored 24 points for Spurs.

NBA. Regular season, December 24

Utah – Memphis – 128:137 (31:37, 36:32, 34:40, 27:28)

Utah: Filipovski (25 + 13 rebounds), George (24), Bailey (17), Mikhailyuk (9), Love (6) – start; Hendricks (21), Clayton (10), Collier (8 + 9 assists + 5 turnovers), Sensabaugh (4), Williams (4).

Memphis: Aldama (37 + 7 assists), Jaren Jackson (21 + 7 rebounds), Jackson (18 + 9 rebounds), Wells (12), Spencer (11 + 13 assists) – start; Lendale (17+8 rebounds), Caldwell-Pope (11), Prosper (8), Koloko (2), Mashak (0), Small (0+7 assists).

San Antonio – Oklahoma – 130:110 (31:29, 27:31, 29:22, 43:28)

San Antonio: Castle (24), Barnes (20), Vassell (17), Cornet (8), Fox (6 + 9 assists) – start; K. Johnson (25), Wembanyama (12), Shempeni (4 + 10 rebounds), Harper (4 + 10 assists + 5 steals), Waters (3), Biyombo (2), McLaughlin (2), Bryan (2), Olynyk (1).

Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (33 + 8 assists), Jaylen Williams (17 + 8 assists), Dort (15), Hartenstein (8 + 12 rebounds), Holmgren (7) – start; K. Williams (10), Joe (8), Wallace (4), Wiggins (3), Youngblood (3), Caruso (2), Barnhizer (0), Carlson (0).

Philadelphia – Brooklyn – 106:114 (27:27, 30:36, 20:26, 29:25)

Philadelphia: Embiid (27), George (19), Maxey (13), McCain (10 + 9 rebounds), Walker (5) – start; Drummond (12+13 rebounds), Gordon (12), Bona (4), Edwards (4), Broome (0), Lowry (0), Sallis (0).

Brooklyn: Porter (28), Demin (20), Claxton (16 + 10 rebounds), Clowney (13), Mann (4) – start; Sharp (9+11 rebounds + 6 assists), Z. Williams (9), Martin (7), Traore (5), Wolf (3).

Charlotte – Washington – 126:109 (24:31, 38:34, 30:25, 34:19)

Charlotte: Ball (23 + 9 assists), Miller (20), Knippel (19), Diabate (12 + 18 rebounds), Bridges (10 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists) – start; James (13), Sexton (12), Hall (11), Green (3), Mann (3), McNeely (0), Connaughton (0).

washington: Middleton (16), McCollum (14), Coulibaly (14), Sarr (7 + 11 rebounds + 4 blocks), George (2 + 6 assists) – start; Bagley (15), Johnson (12), Shempeny (10 + 9 rebounds), Kispert (9), Carrington (6), Brenham (2), Riley (2), Vukcevic (0), Johnson (0), Hill (0).

Atlanta – Chicago – 123:126 (36:30, 32:25, 37:37, 18:34)

of Atlanta: Johnson (24 + 9 rebounds + 10 assists + 5 turnovers), Young (22 + 15 assists), Alexander-Walker (21), Okongwu (10 + 7 rebounds), Risache (10 + 7 rebounds) – start; Krejci (19), Newell (13+7 rebounds), Wallace (2), Kennard (2).

Chicago: White (24 + 7 losses), Vucevic (21 + 10 rebounds), Giddy (19 + 11 rebounds + 15 assists + 7 losses), Buzelis (15), Okoro (8) – starts; Collins (10 + 7 rebounds), Herter (9 + 7 rebounds), Jones (9), Dosunmu (6), Smith (5), Williams (0).

Indiana – Milwaukee – 94:111 (20:26, 24:33, 24:27, 26:25)

indiana: Siakam (15 + 9 rebounds), Nembhard (14 + 6 assists), Maturin (13), Huff (9 + 7 rebounds), Thompson (3) – start; McConnell (16+6 assists), Matthews (6), Furphy (6), Walker (4), Wiseman (3), Jones (3), Jackson (2), Bradley (0), Peter (0).

Milwaukee: Porter (24), Kuzma (15 + 7 rebounds + 5 turnovers), Portis (14 + 9 rebounds), Turner (10), Green (4) – starts; Rollins (23 + 7 rebounds), Sims (6 + 7 rebounds), Trent (5), G. Harris (5), Anthony (3), Jackson (2), Coffey (0), Nance (0).

Cleveland-New Orleans-141:118 (32:22, 37:38, 41:31, 31:27)

cleveland: Mitchell (27), Merrill (22 + 7 assists), Allen (14 + 9 rebounds), Wade (11), Garland (10 + 8 assists) – start; Tyson (18), Bryant (15 + 7 rebounds), Porter (12 + 8 rebounds + 8 assists), Hunter (10), Tomlin (2), Proctor (0).

New Orleans: Quinn (21 + 7 rebounds), Murphy (14), Fiers (11), Bay (11), McGowens (8 + 7 rebounds) – start; Williamson (26), Hawkins (7), Missy (7), Alvarado (6), Peavy (5), Matkovic (2).

Miami – Toronto – 91:112 (16:21, 28:30, 23:31, 24:30)

Miami: Powell (17 + 6 assists), Wiggins (14), Adebayo (9 + 12 rebounds), Ware (5 + 9 rebounds), Mitchell (3) – start; Jaques (21), Smith (10), Yakucionis (7), Fontecchio (5), Johnson (0), Gardner (0).

toronto: Barnes (27 + 8 rebounds), Quickley (18 + 7 assists), Mamukelashvili (14 + 7 assists), Ingram (12), Agbadji (5) – start; Bettle (11), Murray-Boyles (11 + 12 rebounds), Shead (8), Walter (4), Dick (2).

Dallas – Denver – 131:130 (41:27, 25:29, 37:47, 28:27)

dallas: Flagg (33 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Davis (31 + 9 rebounds), Marshall (15), Nembhard (11 + 7 assists), Hardy (10) – start; Williams (9), Russell (9), Caleb Martin (9), Gafford (4).

Denver: J. Murray (31 + 7 rebounds + 14 assists), Jokic (29 + 7 rebounds + 14 assists), K. Johnson (8), Jones (6), Watson (4) – start; Hardaway (23), B. Brown (13 + 7 rebounds), Strother (8), Valanciunas (8), Pickett (0), Jones (0).

Minnesota – New York – 115:104 (31:28, 27:24, 27:27, 30:25)

Minnesota: Edwards (38), Randle (25), DiVincenzo (11 + 8 assists), Gobert (11 + 16 rebounds), Conley (8) – start; Hyland (9), Reed (8 + 11 rebounds), Clark (5), Shannon (0).

New York: Towns (40 + 13 rebounds + 5 turnovers), Kolek (20 + 11 rebounds + 8 assists), Bridges (15), Hart (12 + 15 rebounds + 8 assists + 6 turnovers), Robinson (2 + 7 rebounds) – start; Clarkson (10), Diawara (3), Hookporty (2), McCullar (0), Dadier (0), Evbuomwan (0).

Phoenix-Lakers-132:108 (29:26, 38:31, 45:29, 20:22)

Phoenix: Brooks (25), Booker (21 + 11 assists), Williams (18 + 9 rebounds), Gillespie (16 + 8 assists), O’Neal (12) – start; Buey (14), Goodwin (8), Fleming (7), Ighodaro (5), Dunn (4+7 rebounds), Maluach (2), Hayes-Davis (0).

Lakers: James (23 + 6 assists), Smart (14 + 6 assists), Smith (12), Ayton (12 + 10 rebounds), Larevia (12) – start; Reeves (17), Thiero (6), Vanderbilt (5), Knecht (3), Hayes (2), Kleber (2), James Jr. (0), Magnon (0).

Portland-Orlando-106:110 (21:25, 29:38, 30:26, 26:21)

Portland: Avdija (25 + 8 assists), Sharpe (22), Murray (13), Kamara (10), Clingan (8 + 14 rebounds) – start; Love (17), Sissoko (5), Jan Hansen (4), Rooper (2), Rith (0).

Orlando’s: Bane (23), Black (22 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Jones (16 + 7 assists), Carter (14 + 7 rebounds), Banchero (12) – start; Isaac (9), Penda (8), Kane (4), Richardson (2), Howard (0).

Sacramento-Detroit-127:136 (24:37, 34:38, 39:40, 30:21)

sacramento: DeRozan (37 + 7 assists), Westbrook (27 + 8 rebounds), Achiuwa (15 + 11 rebounds), Reynaud (8), Murray (2) – start; Clifford (14), Schroeder (10), Monk (9), Cardwell (5+7 rebounds), Ellis (0).

of Detroit: Harris (24), Cunningham (23 + 7 rebounds + 12 assists + 6 steals + 10 turnovers), Duren (23 + 14 rebounds), Thompson (19 + 7 rebounds), D. Robinson (9) – start; Stewart (16), Green (9), Ivey (8), LeVert (5).

Clippers – Houston – 128:108 (29:35, 34:23, 35:24, 30:26)

cutting machines: Leonard (41 + 8 rebounds), Harden (29 + 6 assists), Collins (13), Dunn (11), B. Lopez (5) – start; Sanders (13), Batum (6), Miller (4), Bogdanovich (3), Niederhauser (3), Brown (0), Christie (0).

Houston: Durant (22), Thompson (19 + 9 rebounds), Shengyun (19 + 11 rebounds + 6 assists), Smith (16), Okogi (0) – start; Sheppard (8), Tate (7), Eason (7), A. Holiday (3), Green (3), Capela (2), Adams (2), Davison (0).

tournament tables

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Source: Sport UA

Paula

NBA

Forbes named the most valuable sports team of 2025

Published

4 days ago

December 23, 2025

Paula

Forbes named the most valuable sports team of 2025

Version Forbes announced its annual ranking of the world’s most expensive sports teams.

NFL franchise Dallas Cowboys, estimated to be worth $13 billion, has led the pack for the ninth year in a row.

While NBA Golden State Warriors ranked second with a valuation of $11 billion, another representative of American football, Los Angeles Rams (10.5 billion), was in the top three.

The top 10, as last year, includes only American teams from the NFL and NBA. There are seven NFL clubs in the top 10 overall, which Forbes analysts attribute to the league’s large-scale television contracts.

Among football clubs, Real Madrid remains the most expensive – the Spanish giant ranked only 20th with a value of $6.75 billion.

Also in the top 50 are Manchester United (24th, 6.6 billion), Barcelona (42nd, 5.65 billion) and Liverpool (48th, 5.4 billion). In total, only four football clubs are represented in the top 50 rankings.

Formula 1 representatives also returned to the list – Ferrari (26th place) and Mercedes (34th).

The 20 most valuable sports teams in the world according to Forbes