By Antigoni Zachari, Utkan Şahin / info@eurohoops.net
We’re halfway through the transfer season with most teams setting up their plans for next season through new signings and contract extensions. While most free agents on the market this offseason have found their home for the next campaign, some big names remain up for grabs in every position.
Eurohoops presents the Top 10 free agents still available on the market in the list that follows, as well as a few honorable mentions.
Note: Names such as Howard Sant-Roos, Alexey Shved, Krunoslav Simon, Sergio Llull, and Nicolas Laprovittola typically remain free agents but are not included on our list, as they have either agreed to deals or have agreed to contract extensions with their existing clubs, with the official announcements still pending in both cases.
Kevin Pangos (Zenit Saint Petersburg)
Age / Country: 28 / Canada
EuroLeague career: 4 seasons – 140 games
Stats: 39 games, 13.5 points, 2 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 14.8 PIR
Best game: 33 points, 11 assists, 41 PIR vs. Panathinaikos
After an underwhelming 2019-20 season with Barcelona, Kevin Pangos moved to Russia joining Zenit and it ended up being a match made in heaven.
The Canadian point guard took over all the responsibility the floor general could take and delivered clutch performance after clutch performance, pushing Zenit to historic success as the club reached the Euroleague playoffs for the first time.
They even managed to, despite all odds, force Game 5 in the quarterfinals against Barcelona, being very close to a complete upset as well.
At this point, it’s obvious that he will not continue in Zenit and his priority remains the NBA.
Lorenzo Brown (Fenerbahce Beko)
Age / Country: 30 / USA
EuroLeague career: 2 seasons – 64 games
Stats: 37 games, 9.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 8.6 PIR
Best game: 17 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 25 PIR vs. Khimki Moscow Region
In the canceled 2019-2020 season, the American playmaker had a remarkable stint with Crvena Zvezda, despite playing in the EuroLeague for the first time. This performance took him to the next level and Fenerbahce. But the Turkish team was a little too much for him.
At the beginning of the season, the club wished to form a great backcourt duo with Nando De Colo and Brown, but never got what they expected from the American player.
Perhaps the expectations were different when he first joined EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda but the same just didn’t work with Fenerbahce. Especially the playoff performance was a big disappointment.
However, next season can be quite different. It remains to be seen which team will bet on him since point guards have extra value in the summer market.
Tyler Dorsey (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Age / Country: 25 / Greece
EuroLeague Career: 2 seasons – 62 games
Stats: 34 games, 11.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 9.7 EFF
Best game: 30 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 36 EFF vs Real Madrid
After his short adventure in the NBA, Dorsey came to EuroLeague with Maccabi two years ago and warmed up slowly before our eyes. Playing for coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, known to nurture young talents in the competition, Dorsey was able to adapt his playing style to Europe.
The Greek guard, who has shown special performances from time to time on the offensive side this season, has shown to the whole of Europe that he is a valuable talent even though the season was bad for Maccabi. In fact, maybe if the ball had been given to Dorsey a little more than to Wilbekin at the end of any game, the season might not have been this bad for Maccabi.
While his priority also remains the NBA, a return to Europe may not be excluded.
Austin Hollins (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Age / Country: 29 / USA
EuroLeague Career: 2 seasons – 65 games
Stats: 38 games, 8.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 5.8 EFF
Best game: 20 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 22 EFF vs Valencia
Since we brought up the subject of Bayern, let’s move on to Zenit, another surprise of the season.
The Russian team added a great atmosphere to this season with its performance. Maybe they didn’t have a big star on their roster other than Kevin Pangos, but under the leadership of Xavi Pascual, they played great team basketball and managed to get the support of everyone.
Hollins, who spent his second season in Russia, was part of the team that played that right basketball.
Considering his athleticism and shooting ability, his scoring could’ve been much higher, but Hollins preferred to play efficiently for his team. This is not a mentality you will see in every player.
For this reason, the 29-year-old forward is one of the underrated names in the league.
Mario Hezonja (Panathinaikos)
Age / Country: 26 / Croatia
EuroLeague Career: 3 seasons – 46 games
Stats: 8 games, 14.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 12.8 EFF
Best game: 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 21 EFF vs Barcelona
Is Mario Hezonja a star or a talent that still needs to prove himself? If we look at the reactions of Panathinaikos fans, the answer to my question is the first! Hezonja is a star!
If we look at Hezonja on the court, that’s not the case. Yes, there is talent, but it has not yet proven itself.
Talent has never been questionable when it comes to Hezonja anyway. This was the case even when playing for Barcelona at a young age. After all, we’re talking about a player selected as the fifth pick in the NBA draft.
When things didn’t go the way he wanted in recent years, Hezonja once again returned to Europe.
However, the Croatian star is only 26 years old and has many years ahead of him to prove himself. And it’s not secret that there are ongoing talks between him and Panathinaikos.
Jonas Jerebko (Khimki Moscow)
Age / Country: 34 / Sweden
EuroLeague Career: 4 seasons – 72 games
Stats: 28 games, 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 12.8 EFF
Best game: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 25 EFF vs Zalgiris
Jonas Jerebko was just one of the names whose departure from Khimki Moscow was unpleasant this season. Even if his advancing age is something that we think may be an obstacle for him, any GM, coach, or manager who is aware that players who have spent many years in the NBA are much stronger and more resilient, would want Jerebko in their team.
The general problems in Khimki’s structure and the chemistry that could not be established due to financial problems did not affect Jerebko’s individual statistics negatively, but it was still not a system that he enjoyed playing. He is one of the most experienced players among the free agents on the list.
Nigel Hayes (Zalgiris Kaunas)
Age / Country: 26 / USA
EuroLeague Career: 2 seasons – 61 games
Stats: 33 games, 9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 9.8 EFF
Best game: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 30 EFF vs Maccabi
A player who has risen to the EuroLeague level from Galatasaray. He’s a player who you clearly know how much he can contribute and you can be really sure of what he can’t provide. Most of the time, it’s clear what he will do.
Hayes, a player who is fond of shooting the 3-pointer a lot, is now entering the free-agent market as one of Europe’s most valuable power forwards and it seems likely that top teams will be interested in him.
His offensive package has reached a solid level both with his face and his back to the basket. For Hayes, making it to an even higher level should be more than a dream.
Michael Eric (CSKA Moscow)
Age / Country: 32 / Nigeria
EuroLeague career: 3 seasons – 71 games
Stats: 14 games, 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds
Best game: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 27 PIR vs. LDLC ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
A midseason addition for CSKA Moscow, Micheal Eric proved an effective solution after Nikola Milutinov was sidelined.
The Nigerian center made the most of his opportunities displaying once again his ability to become at least a good rotation player at this level. He will be an interesting option in free agency.
Othello Hunter (Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv) *
Age / Country: 35 / USA
EuroLeague career: 8 seasons – 216 games
Stats: 27 games, 8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Best game: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 26 PIR vs. CSKA Moscow
His eighth season in EuroLeague did not generate anything spectacular for Maccabi but proved Othello Hunter remains a force to be reckoned with in the paint.
His lengthy career includes stints at Olympiacos, Real Madrid, and CSKA Moscow. And his future is yet to be known since Maccabi Tel Aviv decided not to use the option to extend his contract.
Tarik Black (Zenit Saint-Petersburg)
Age / Country: 29 / USA
EuroLeague career: 3 seasons – 50 games
Stats: 13 games, 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds
Best game: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 21 PIR vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
A strong rim protector in Tarik Black meeting free agency can launch fireworks.
He was a key factor in Zenit’s successful run after joining the Russian team in January and also provided a massive challenge to FC Barcelona with his effective defense in the Playoffs. Injuries have been an issue for the former NBA player, but he remains a marquee name.
Honorable mentions: Errick McCollum, Norris Cole, Janis Strelnieks, Timofey Mozgov, Chris Jones, Stefan Jovic.