By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Moving to Zalgiris Kaunas in the summer of 2022, Rolands Smits found himself relevant again on the EuroLeague level after lacking confidence during his last few months in Barcelona.
Now, two seasons in the making, the Latvian expert is set to move for the first time in Turkey. According to Chema de Lucas, he’s expected to sign a three-year deal with Anadolu Efes, who recently renewed head coach Tomislav Mijatovic and team leader Shane Larkin.
“No Valencia, no Monaco”, the Spanish reporter also added after the 28-year-old forward was linked to both teams in the previous weeks, as his contract with Zalgiris Kaunas is expiring this summer.
In the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, despite not making it to the newly introduced Play-In Showdown, Rolands Smits tried to contribute for the Lithuanian powerhouse first under Kazys Maksvytis and then under Andrea Trinchieri, averaging 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Before moving to Lithuania, he spent his whole professional career in Spain, starting from Fuenlabrada’s youth system in 2011. He stayed in the team until 2017 despite being moved several times elsewhere on loan. Then, from 2017 to 2022 he was part of Barcelona’s roster.
ÚLTIMA HORA: Rolands Smits, close to sign a three-year deal with Anadolu Efes. No Valencia, no Monaco.
Rolands Smits, cerca de firmar por tres temporadas con Anadolu Efes. Ni Valencia ni Mónaco.
— Chema de Lucas (@chemadelucas) May 9, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague