This summer, EuroLeague teams recruited several NBA players, focusing mainly on two groups: European players returning after a disappointing NBA stint and newcomers eager to test their skills internationally.
It is no mystery that, in recent years, the market for EuroLeague teams has become increasingly complex. Average player prices are only rising upward, younger players are increasingly attracted by the rich contracts that even the NCAA can now offer.
Aleksandr Vezenkov
| Position: | PF |
| Age: | 29 |
| Height: | 203 cm |
| Weight: | 102 kg |
| Birth place: | Nicosia, Côte d'Ivoire |
Markets that previously certainly did not scare the EuroLeague away are now able to offer very high salaries, such as Japan or Australia.
For EuroLeague clubs, therefore, it is increasingly important to have good scouting skills to find the most interesting players in EuroCup or BCL teams, from where future stars of Europe's top competition can come.
It is obvious, however, that EuroLeague teams continue to look a lot at the NBA market as well.
Fans always dream of a market addition coming straight from the American league, and clubs know full well that finding the right player coming out of the NBA can turn their season around.
Recruiting players from the NBA, meanwhile, is increasingly complex. The rise of two-way contracts and the development of the G League is pushing more and more players to want to wait for their chance in the United States instead of trying an overseas experience.
There are always exceptions, though: players who are fascinated by the idea of trying an experience abroad or others who simply get tired of waiting for a chance in the U.S. and want to test their talent in Europe.
In the past season, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens waited as long as it needed to before finalizing a deal with Kendrick Nunn, a goal the Greek club had set for itself for some time.
That wait paid off handsomely, as Nunn quickly turned into one of the team's key players, helping the Greeks win the EuroLeague title.
During this offseason, several EuroLeague clubs decided to focus on the NBA market, bringing to Europe several talents from the strongest league in the world, some who already had experience in European basketball and others who will instead be at their first-ever venture in basketball on the Old Continent.
In some cases, clubs decided to target players who already had considerable European experience and were not particularly satisfied with their situation in the NBA.
The most striking case, of course, was the return of Sasha Vezenkov to Olympiacos Piraeus. Vezenkov had left Europe in the summer of 2023 to join the Sacramento Kings on a multi-year contract.
His experience in the NBA, however, was disappointing, especially from a human perspective; the player never felt fully integrated within his team.
After being traded to the Toronto Raptors during the offseason, Vezenkov pushed hard to return to Olympiacos, a club to which he feels extremely attached, and in order to facilitate the negotiation, he gave up much of the money remaining on his contract for the next season.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade have also often looked to the NBA market in recent seasons to try to bolster their team.
This summer was no different, and the Serbian club recruited Frank Ntilikina, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Duane Washington to rebuild the roster after last year's disappointing season.
Both Ntilikina and Pokusevski may fall into the category of players who their NBA experience had let down. Although Ntilikina always proved his worth at the FIBA level, in the NBA, the French player was never able to carve out a truly relevant role for himself.
In the last season, he had played briefly with the Charlotte Hornets, but as early as February, he was cut and had been without a team ever since.
Pokusevski arrived in the NBA in 2020, still very young, as one of the Oklahoma City Thunder's top projects of interest.
Despite a promising start in his first two NBA seasons, his role in Oklahoma slowly diminished until last season when the Thunder cut him and then settled with the Charlotte Hornets.
Even in Charlotte, however, Pokusevski did not find much space, and when the call from Partizan Belgrade came in the summer, the Serbian player preferred to return to Europe and embrace a project that could get him back on track after a couple of disappointing seasons.
Pokusevski's arrival at Partizan was, moreover, facilitated by the connection between the Serbian powerhouse and the Wasserman agency, one of the most influential around.
Wasserman has always had good relations with Partizan management over the years and has often brought his clients to the Belgrade club.
Since Zeljko Obradovic became Partizan's head coach in 2021, then, that relationship has further intensified.
Obradovic, in fact, is one of the agency's most prominent clients, and his agent, Aleksander Raskovic, is also Pokusevski's agent.
Duane Washington, another of Partizan's additions this summer, fits a different kind of profile. He is a player who will be in his first-ever European experience but who, at the NBA level, has shown some interesting things and simply could not find enough space in the league.
Washington, then, comes from a family already familiar with European basketball, as his father previously played in Germany, Spain, and France.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, in their roster restructuring efforts, have also decided to target a player returning from the NBA, Croatian big man Luka Samanic.
Arriving in the NBA in 2019, chosen in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs, Samanic has struggled to find a stable position in the league.
For the past two seasons, he has worn the Utah Jazz jersey, but even in Salt Lake City, Samanic has struggled to find a prominent role.
During the offseason, a proposal came from Fenerbahce and coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who also plans to use him at 5, taking advantage of his athleticism.
Another important return to the European market was the signing of Furkan Korkmaz by AS Monaco.
The Turkish player, who had been in the NBA since 2017, had long ended up on the sidelines of the Philadelphia 76ers and, at the trade deadline, was traded to the Indiana Pacers only to be immediately cut.
Korkmaz was eager to return to play in Europe after some difficult seasons in the NBA, and at Monaco, he will essentially go to take the place of Jordan Loyd, who left the principality club to sign with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.
Korkmaz's dangerousness on the perimeter and his great international experience, despite his still young age (Korkmaz is only 27, ed.), will surely represent some of the most intriguing weapons at Monaco's disposal next season.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul, on the other hand, have decided to target two players from the NBA but who will both be in their first EuroLeague experience.
Stanley Johnson can be considered a veteran at the NBA level, having played more than 400 games in the league, and his physical and athletic gifts will serve Efes well to go to replace the departure of Will Clyburn.
Jordan Nwora, meanwhile, is a few years younger than Johnson and comes to Efes primarily as a threat from the perimeter and for his ability to attack the rim.
Nwora has a Nigerian passport and has previous experience in FIBA basketball, having competed in the Tokyo Olympics with the Nigerian national team. On that occasion, the former Milwaukee Bucks player was the African team's top scorer with 21 points per game.
His arrival at Efes could be one of the pleasant surprises of the season that will begin in a few weeks.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz have upheld their tradition as a club that can find talent that is not yet fully formed and makes them future stars in the competition.
Also this summer came a prospect signing with Trent Forrest, a former Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz player.
A point guard with great athletic ability and game vision but a yet-to-be-developed long-distance shot, Forrest could add to the list of "underrated" players that Baskonia have been able to enhance over the past few years.
Maccabi also made an intriguing choice by targeting South Sudanese big man Wenyen Gabriel.
The 27-year-old former Los Angeles Laker, thanks to his physicality and athleticism definitely above the norm, should not make Josh Nebo's departure regretted and could represent one of the most interesting signings this EuroLeague offseason.
Between now and the start of the season, there could be even more arrivals from the NBA. Panathinaikos, for example, has long put Omer Yurtseven, a Turkish big man who played last season in a Jazz jersey, among its targets.
Olimpia Milano also hope to close out the backcourt with the arrival of Skylar Mays, a guard who played with the Lakers last season.
Despite the obvious challenges European clubs face in the market, this offseason highlights that Europe remains an attractive destination for certain players.
These are often individuals who have struggled to find their footing in the NBA or, after spending years in the league, are eager to return to Europe and reclaim a major role.
