By Nikos Varlas / varlas@eurohoops.net
Kostas Papanikolaou is still a free agent, he is practicing by himself in Thesaloniki, Greece, and he doesn’t seem to be on a hurry in order to decide the next step of his career. The Greek forward may decide to take an offer in the next few days or during December at the latest.
According to Eurohoops sources, the return to the NBA remains a priority of Papanikolaou. After being waived by the Denver Nuggets, there were 2-3 NBA teams teams which knocked on his door for a non guaranteed deal and a spot in their training camps. Papanikolaou decided to refuse those offers.
The issue for him is not the money, or the NBA team. However, the guaranteed contract is his personal guaranty for a real chance in the NBA. He wants to have the opportunity to prove himself. Considering the growth of the salary cup during the next seasons, at this moment even a minimum deal can be enough for him in order to continue his effort to build an NBA career and a future in the best league of the world.
The return to Europe
Τhe fact remains that if there’s no real offer from the NBA, Papanikolaou has the option of returning to Europe. After losing half of last season, he doesn’t have the luxury to stay out of the courts for much more. If there’s a better offer from Europe compared to the NBA interest, his return to the old continent will be a fact. That can happen in any given time, during the next days, or before the start of the Euroleague Top16.
Olympiacos made its move and waits
According to Eurohoops sources, last week Olympiacos contacted the side of Papanikolaou for the first time. The Reds informed the player about their intension to sign the player, they presented what they can offer moneywise and in lenght of contract and they wait his answer. Olympiacos doesn’t have a lot of room for negotiations and even if they get a deal with Papanikolaou, they have to decide what his role will be in the rotation, because this will affect also the role of Ioannis Papapetrou. The possible return of Papanikolaou will be an asset for the team, but Olympiacos wants also to have space for Papapetrou to grow and develop as player.
For now, there’s no decision from any interested part on the matter, because the 25 years old “Pap” still wants to wait for the NBA and doesn’t want to jeopardize his chances for a career at the other side of the Atlantic. In Europe there are two more top Euroleague club that may need Papanikolaou and in theory can provide a better offer than Olympiacos. At the moment, this hasn’t happened yet, so we must still wait…