By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos officially announced the addition of 17 years old center and one of the best high school prospects, Giannis Papagiannis. However, despite a multi-year deal with the Greek champions, Papagiannis has the option to return to the States next summer.
Papagiannis was playing last season for Westtown School in Pennsylvania and he is already mentioned as a possible lottery pick in the 2016 NBA draft due to his combination of skills and height (2.17 m.). That’s why in his contract there’s also an opt out clause for the summers of 2015 and 2016. Since he is underage, he can keep his amateur status and try playing in the NCAA in the 2015-16 season. For the 2014-15 season he will have an amateur athlete license which will not belong to Panathinaikos BC, but to Panathinaikos amateur sport club, the entity from which every pro team emerged, according to Greek legislation.
So it remains to be seen what the future holds for him and how many minutes he will get next year in Panathinaikos. It’s obvious that the Greens hope he decides to spend a lot more than one season in Greece. The financial details of the deal haven’t been announced.