By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Mike James started his European career in Greece as a member of Kolossos Rhodes, he shined in Euroleague with Baskonia and now it’s maybe the time for him to return to Greece.
Both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos have made him an offer, with the Greens at this point giving him a much better salary. Το be extact Olympiacos in offering almost 500.000 US dollars per season, while Panathinaikos is giving him 900.000 US dollars for the same amount of time. On the other hand Olympiacos is giving him a two year deal with an opt out clause in the summer of 2017 – and probably a raise in the second year of the contract – and Panathinaikos offers him a one year contract, while the player wants also an NBA out in order to have the ability this summer to get a chance on the other side of the Atlantic. Considering, however, the fact that it’s still June and James was one of the players who had a break out season in Euroleague, many things can change in the near future and other suitors are expected to appear. After all, Baskonia is also expected to try and keep him in Vitoria.
Still, a gifted scorer like James can have a major role in both Greek clubs. In Olympiacos he will complement Vasilis Spanoulis as the backcourt go to guy, probably coming from the bench. Panathinaikos after the retirement of Dimitris Diamantidis has many holes to fill in the guards and Marquez Haynes, who already is finalizing a deal with Umana Venezia in Italy, is already past for the team.
The negotiations are still going on and nothing is expected to be finalized soon, considering the fact that the NBA is also on the mind of the player. Here’s a small sample of what James has done the 2015-16 season.