By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Nick Calathes of Memphis Grizzlies will be a free agent in the summer. The Greek point guard is about to enter the pick of his career and Eurohoops is examining his situation and his more than possible, according to sources, return to Europe for a multiyear deal.
During this season, Calathes is averaging 13.1 minutes and has 4.1 points, 2,5 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 44.5% shooting efficiency in FG. It’s not the role he used to have in Europe.
What can keep him in the NBA
- Calathes is tired by the current situation, in which he has to fight for minutes, something he was not used to during his European days. He likes to be a leader, but he has a different role in Memphis and it seems hard to get the trust to be one in an other NBA team.
- On the financial aspect, the 26 years-old guard decided to cut dramatically his salary in order to chase the NBA dream, compared to the contract he was offered by his last team, Lokomotiv Kuban. After two seasons during which he is not enjoying his role and he doesn’t get the minutes he would want – something that applies almost to every athlete by the way – he is not eager to stay in the NBA with a low level contract. That means only a deal of 2-2,5 millions US dollars per season could keep him there and that’s also hard to get.
The favorite until proven otherwise
- If you want to talk with odds, there’s less than 5% for Calathes to stay in the NBA. In Europe he is considered a top class floor general and he could ask one of the top Euroleague contracts for the next three, or under conditions for two seasons.
- During the summer of 2014 he said that he would like to play again in Panathinaikos, he was photographed with the jersey of the Greek team, with which he won the Euroleague in 2011. So it’s obvious that Panathinaikos has the advantage. Calathes like the team and also Athens. The same applies for the rest of his family.
- Ηowever Calathes will try to get the best possible European deal. Last summer CSKA Moscow (before signing Nando De Colo) and Fenerbahce/ Ulker were ready to give him multiyear deals, so expect offers from top Turkish and Russian club this summer also. Considering the fact that even Eurocup clubs like Khimki and Lokomotiv Kuban are willing to pay like they did with Tyrese Rice and Malcolm Delaney, then it’s easy to understand that Panathinaikos will have competitors.
- Being just 26 years old, having already won the Euroleague and returning to Europe for good, means that Calathes will demand and can get a 3 years 6 million euros net deal. Keep in mind that in Europe there’s a serious lack of point guards in Calathes’ level of quality.
- If the Greek team can match, or at least get close to those kind of offers, then Calathes will get back to Athens. However if there’s a considerable difference in the total deal, then it’s more than possible for Calathes to think as a professional, given the fact that he has been paid for the two seasons much less than he was used to.
- A key factor in the final offer of Panathinaikos to Calathes will be the amount of money the team is going to spend in order to renew the contract of the Green’s icon, Dimitris Diamantidis.