NBA news roundup: Magic are all-in on Fultz; Shumpert says nah to Rockets

In our weekly NBA news roundup, 28 counterfeit championship rings are found, Iman Shumpert pulls out of a deal with the Rockets and the Magic are all-in on Markell Fultz

US Customs and Border Protection  finds 28 counterfeit NBA championship rings from China at Customs

As you would expect, big profits can be made by selling professional championship rings. Which is why it’s not out of the ordinary to hear news about a professional athlete being robbed of theirs. JaVale McGee recently had one of his two championship rings stolen a couple of weeks ago.

Recently at LAX Customs, there was a major bust on fake NBA rings. The rings were from China and headed to Arizona before they had to make a stop in L.A. where they were busted at customs.

The 28 championship rings were from the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs. These 28 rings reportedly were worth $560,000.

Back in March of this year, the Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, sold four of his six rings for a whopping $1.2 million.

Iman Shumpert rejects an offer from Rockets 

In somewhat of an odd turn of events, Iman Shumpert has decided to decline a contract offer from the Rockets. It’s not exactly sure why Shumpert elected not to take the offer, but you’d have to think that he was either being lowballed or didn’t want to risk not making the team.

Either way, other teams should be interested in Shumpert, who averaged eight points and 35 percent shooting from 3-point range. He is an above-average defender and will certainly be able to help a playoff contender this season.

The Magic appear to be all-in on Markelle Fultz 

The Orlando Magic announced earlier this week that they have exercised Markelle Fultz’s contract for the 2020-21 season. And while it may not be viewed as a surprising move, it is considering that he has yet to play a minute for the team (as he still continues to recover from the head-scratching injuries that have plagued him to start his NBA career) and the fact that he’s now on the books for $12 million for the 2020-21 season.

Fultz was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft but has looked like everything but a top pick through the first few years of his career. Orlando must believe in what they’re seeing in pre-training camp workouts, however.

And, honestly, that’s the only thing that should matter here. If they believe in Fultz, they should lock him up for the next two seasons. Hopefully, though, we see him back on the floor sooner than later.