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By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After we presented the 10 most sought after American free agents in the Euroleague, it’s time to present the 10 most sought after Europeans as well. We are talking about players that have been tried and tested and are now targets of any team with big ambitions and whose cache is incredibly high.
In this category are inevitably included those American players that are however deemed Europeans since they are holders of community passports and of course those whose contracts are exhausted and not those who have release clauses. In addition to the Top 10, the following players deserve an honorable mention: Pau Ribas, Paulius Jankunas, Antoine Diot, Bo McCalebb, Vladimir Micov, Gal Mekel and Krunoslav Simon.
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[lptitle title=”10. Giannis Bourousis“]
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The Greek center has been sidelined in Real Madrid, is now playing a minimum of minutes and it is not too hard to tell that he doesn’t have a future in the team. Nonetheless he is the main center of the Greek national team, he has proven over many years that he is one of the best bigmen in the Euroleague and it is a given that once he is out on the market he will have very substantial propositions falling into his lap. His name has been mentioned for the ambitious AEK, however it is not at all certain whether he will return to Greece.
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[lptitle title=”9. Nikos Zisis”]
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Another experienced Greek and indeed a classic point guard, a position for which quality options are very few in Europe. The fact that Fenerbahce acquired him midseason in order to tidy things up in the team says a lot. It’s a given that he can help any team with high goals, he knows how to adapt his game according to the demands that are in place and he is always a positive presence in the locker room.
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[lptitle title=”8. Jayson Granger”]
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The Uruguayan with the Italian passport has managed to steal the show with his performances in the Euroleague and the Spanish championship, his name is already being heard as a possible target of Barcelona and he is by far Malaga’s most important player. His team will try to keep him but it’s a fact that there is interest in him from many and who will ultimately acquire him doesn’t seem like a simple matter.
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[lptitle title=”7. Kostas Sloukas“]
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The time has come for his first “big” contract, the contacts that have been made since last summer with Olympiacos did not result in a new agreement and it is a given that he will be in demand. He is a part of the core of the ‘red-and-whites’, he has shown that he can be an investment for the future and the post-Spanoulis era, and theoretically he is his team’s top priority. There have already been scenarios that involve him with other teams as well, but nothing is yet established or official.
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