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.
Elie Okobo
NBA: 108 games with the Phoenix Suns
Europe: 11 FIBA Europe Cup games and 61 Jeep Elite Pro A games with Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
The 23-year-old French guard spent his last two seasons as part of the Phoenix Suns organization. He joined the Brooklyn Nets a couple of weeks ago but was waived at the end of the training camp. Under the CBA, the Nets can assign four waived players to the G-League’s Long Island Nets and this seems to be a very likely destination for him.
Okobo, selected with the 31st pick of the 2018 NBA draft, directly connected to Europe and a member of the France national team can also be a solid option. A couple of years after departing from Europe to chase the NBA dream, he would return vastly improved from the gained experiences at a higher level.
Paul Eboua
NBA: –
Europe: 18 LBA Serie A games with Pesaro
The youngest player on our list after going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft inked a deal with the Miami Heat and was waived this week. He was claimed by the Brooklyn Nets and returned to the waivers list Saturday. Like Okobo, he may get a chance with the Long Island Nets.
Eboua, 20, made his way up the top-tier division of Italy loaned by Stella Azzurra Roma to Pesaro prior to turning his focus on the NBA. Potentially pausing the pursuit, the Cameroonian-Italian forward would likely opt to return to Europe aiming to make a stronger case when another opportunity arises.
T. J. Leaf
NBA: 141 games with the Indiana Pacers
Europe: –
Recently linked with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, the 23-year-old Israeli-American forward may elect to move his talents on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. The son of Maccabi legend, Brad Leaf, was actually born in Tel Aviv but at a very young age upon the conclusion of his father’s career moved to the USA.
He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 18th overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft and remained with the team for the next three seasons. He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to the 2020 preseason but was among the players cut Saturday.