Former NBA guard David Duke Jr. has signed a multiyear contract with Pallacanestro Varese, the Italian club announced in a press release.
A former Providence standout, Duke spent his first four professional seasons in the NBA and G League after going undrafted in 2021. He appeared in 55 regular season games for the Nets and Spurs from 2021-25, averaging 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game, before making the move overseas a year ago. The 26-year-old played for the Perth Wildcats in Australia and Basquet Manresa in Spain last season.
In addition to signing Duke, Pallacanestro Varese is also seeking frontcourt reinforcements and has an eye on free agent big man Christian Koloko, according to Giuseppe Sciascia of La Prealpina (story in Italian). However, it sounds as if Koloko may not be ready to give up on finding an NBA contract for the coming season.
Koloko’s search for a new NBA deal is complicated by the fact that he is no longer eligible for a two-way contract. Despite only technically playing in three separate NBA seasons, he has accumulated four years of service because he was under contract with Toronto for a portion of the 2023/24 season.
Here are more updates from around the international basketball world:
Former NBA forward/center Mamadi Diakite has agreed to terms on a multiyear deal with Dubai Basketball, the EuroLeague team announced in a press release. Diakite appeared in 55 games for Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, San Antonio, and New York from 2020-24, averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest. The 29-year-old, who won a title with the Bucks in 2021, played for Baskonia in Spain last season.
Former NBA big man Willy Hernangomez, who played in 344 regular season games for three teams from 2016-23, has a new team following a three-year stint with Barcelona from 2023-26. Hernangomez has signed a one-year deal with Unicaja Malaga, per a press release.
A handful of former NBA players have signed contracts in Australia’s National Basketball League, according to announcements from their respective teams. Veteran guard Skylar Mays (who was in the NBA from 2020-24) has joined the South East Melbourne Phoenix; big man Jonah Bolden (2018-20) has a deal with the Cairns Taipans; and forward Darius Days (2023) is returning to the Illawarra Hawks after having played for the club in 2024/25.
Celtics center Neemias Queta, rewarded earlier this month with a contract extension following a breakout 2025/26 season, is the only NBA player on Portugal’s roster for the upcoming window of World Cup qualifiers, writes Stefan Acevski of Eurohoops. Portgual, 3-3 so far in qualifying games, is scheduled to face Spain on August 28 and Georgia on Aug. 31.