By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Former NBA player, Andres Nocioni, looks back on his career remembering his NBA jump and talks with Spanish outlet AS about fellow Argentinians and Real Madrid players, Facundo Campazzo and Gabriel Deck, approaching the same route.
“I think that Real Madrid will have to listen to offers from NBA teams this summer,” he suggested on Campazzo, “Madrid is going to have to understand that it is going to be a move that he is going to try to make at some point.”
Another Real Madrid player, Sergio Llull was selected 34th in the 2009 NBA draft but since opted to remain with the Whites. His NBA rights initially secured by the Denver Nuggets belong to the Houston Rockets.
“It is not easy for the players to make a decision similar to Llull’s, not everyone has that mentality of staying in Europe as Sergio has done,” said his teammate from 2014 to 2017, “Facundo always saw the NBA as a possibility, since he was very young. He is not going to push it, but circumstances are going to make him consider the possibility.”
Campazzo extended his contract with Real up to 2024 last summer but is still attracting NBA interest. A potential move would require him to pay 5.275M of his 6M buyout clause.
“This summer will be difficult for both European and NBA teams,” admitted Nocioni, “I believe that Facundo will have offers. For Madrid, it would be a huge loss but coupled with significant financial compensation that can allow the club to move forward.”
“When I left Baskonia in 2004, most believed that the team would not recover but afterward made it to four straight Final Fours,” he added recalling his NBA move, “At Madrid, I retired and the following season the team won the EuroLeague again. Then Doncic left. The losses can be significant and hurt, but there is always a way to recover.”
Another Real star on the radar of NBA teams is Deck. Concluding, Nocioni shared his view on the future of the 25-year-old Argentinian forward.
“He is still making his case. He can make the jump, but currently seems more difficult,” he estimated, “I know that there is some NBA interest, but not as open as Campazzo.”