By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
While Mindaugas Kuzminskas’s contract with Olimpia Milano includes an opt-out clause that allows him a potential return to the NBA next summer, there are hopes in the Italian team that he will be convinced to stay next season and become a focal character in the club’s future.
“We want to keep him (Kuzminskas) next season,” Olimpia Milano president Livio Proli said per Gazzetta Dello Sport. “This is an acquisition towards our growth in the long run. We made this addition because our fanbase deserves the best roster. Unfortunately, Kuzminskas became available now, we could’ve signed him a month ago.”
The plan for Kuzminskas is to make his Milano debut in the upcoming EuroLeague game against Olympiacos in Piraeus, Friday (5/12). The “Red Shoes” have fallen to a 4 – 11 record and the last place in the standings after six defeats in the last seven games and are desperately looking for victories that will put them back in the playoffs equation.
Milano need all the strength they can muster and are counting on the Lithuanian forward to instantly make a difference and help them achieve a turnaround as quickly as possible.
Kuzminskas returned to Europe and EuroLeague after his stint with the New York Knicks that ended on November 17 when he was waived. He last played in EuroLeague with Unicaja Malaga in 2015-2016 averaging 12 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1 assist per game.