By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The final cuts for the NBA teams traditionally attract European interest. This year due to the coronavirus pandemic and the adjusted schedule for the 2020-21 NBA Regular Season meets the European competitions approaching their midway mark rather than the usual situation in early October. The involved teams on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have been managing various unprecedented situations, transfer policies being just one of them.
Diving into the NBA teams placing players on the waiver list to narrow down respective squads according to the limit set by the league, five players with the strongest connections to the Old Continent stand out and are presented by Eurohoops.
* Previously announced released players can be other potential additions for European teams but are not included in our list (e.g. Mario Hezonja).
Naz Mitrou-Long
NBA: 15 games with the Utah Jazz, 5 with the Indiana Pacers
Europe: –
The 27-year-old guard is in the process of getting a Greek passport. His brother, Elijah, completed the jump to Europe joining PAOK for his rookie season. Their mother is Greek-Canadian.
Coming out of Iowa State in 2017, he went on to split his first professional seasons between the NBA and the G League. The questionable status of the latter competition may lead him to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
He has been linked in the past with European sides and the Greek national team but to no avail. The current situation can be different.
Nik Stauskas
NBA: 159 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, 73 games with the Sacramento Kings, 44 games with the Portland Trail Blazers, 35 games with the Brooklyn Nets, 24 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Europe: 22 EuroLeague games and 18 ACB games with Baskonia
The 27-year-old guard, a member of the Canada national team, also has European ties through his family of Lithuanian heritage. He actually debuted in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season but parted ways with Baskonia in February. He was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks after participating in the training camp.
Stauskas, as Mitrou-Long, can potentially evolve into a target for EuroLeague clubs in search of an extra scoring punch moving into the 2020-21 season. The knee issue prematurely ending his first European campaign now looks way behind him.