By Stavros Barbarousis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Sacramento Kings have invited Sasha Vezenkov to meet the management during the NBA Las Vegas Summer League, according to Eurohoops sources.
Vezenkov, 26, will not play but will be interviewed and presumably receive an offer by the Kings. He has been vocal about the interest shown by the NBA team and indeed projected the talks during the offseason.
The NBA Las Vegas Summer League is scheduled to start Thursday. Vezenkov is currently in preparations for a win-or-go-home game with the Bulgaria senior national team taking on Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo tomorrow, Monday. The losing side will be in direct danger of being eliminated from the final round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers.
His contract with Olympiacos expires in 2024 but includes NBA opt-out clauses this summer and the next. The Kings acquired his NBA rights a couple of weeks ago and GM Monte McNair confirmed the interest in securing his services. The Cyprus-born forward was originally selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 57th overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft, his rights were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 and from there landed in Sacramento during the 2022 NBA draft.
Vezenkov was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team this season. Producing 13.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest, he was among the main contributors as Olympiacos reached the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in five years. At the domestic level, the Reds were champions in Greece’s Stoiximan Basket League and also lifted the Greek Cup trophy.