By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
If it’s true that guys like Goran Dragic, the Hernangomez brothers, and Ricky Rubio may be on the verge of coming back to Europe to start a new chapter of their careers after the NBA, it can’t be denied that a whole new amount of players are ready to take the exact opposite direction.
Eurohoops picked ten players who either have been drafted or expected to be drafted and move to the other side of the pond and also some names who are already rumored to have been in contact with the NBA.
And of course, we couldn’t start with anyone else.
Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92)
Starting from the most obvious choice, Victor Wembanyama is 100% moving to the NBA in 2022-23, as the 19-year-old French sensation is by far the best candidate to be selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the No.1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
People are already loving him in the US after an LNB season as runner-up in which he dropped 21.6 points per game in the Regular Season and 17.6 points in the Playoffs, while also taking revenge against his former team ASVEL. The Wemby era is starting soon.
Sasha Vezenkov (Olympiacos)
If we have to choose the face of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, the answer could be nobody but Sasha Vezenkov, who dominated the scene and was just one crazy Sergio Llull’s winning-game shot in the Zalgirio Arena away from taking every trophy possible from the International campaign.
MVP, Best Scorer with 17.6 points per night, highest in PIR, third in rebounds (6.8) per game behind Mathias Lessort and Walter Tavares, losing effort of 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in the last game of the season. Also, he won every trophy available in Greece, destroying Panathinaikos.
“He must stay at Olympiacos. We want him and we will do everything”, the Greek club’s owners said on the 27-year-old superstar’s future. He has a contract until 2025, with an NBA buyout of over one million euros. However, the Sacramento Kings, who received his draft rights in 2022 following a trade with Cleveland, would like to have him lighting the Beam.
Vasilije Micic (Anadolu Efes)
After winning the EuroLeague in back-to-back fashion, Anadolu Efes didn’t land in the Playoffs this year but still put some smiles on their faces by winning the Turkish Basketball League in a 3-0 sweep against Pinar Karsiyaka.
Game 3 of the Finals was decided by Vasilije Micic, who may finally be on the edge of joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, which acquired the Serbian playmaker’s rights in 2020 from the Philadelphia 76ers, as part of a deal involving Vincent Poirier, Terrance Ferguson, and Danny Green.
According to Eurohoops sources, in fact, the 29-year-old EuroLeague superstar traveled to Oklahoma City to discuss his future with the franchise after the 2023 NBA Draft, scheduled on June 22. “I am still showing a desire to go to the NBA. I would like to try myself there“, he said to Eurohoops in July, before eventually deciding to stay in Europe and average 16.0 points and 5.4 assists per game in this year’s EuroLeague.
Filip Petrusev (Crvena Zvezda)
When Filip Petrusev came out of Gonzaga averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and being named WCC player of the year, expectations were running high on the Serbian talent who grew up in Baskonia‘s youth development system.
However, he decided to withdraw his name from the 2020 NBA Draft, coming back to Europe to join KK Mega Basket, where he won ABA League MVP, Top Prospect, and Top Scorer awards, finally declaring for the NBA Draft and being selected by Philadelphia with the No.50 overall pick.
A mediocre season with Anadolu Efes in terms of very limited playing time came afterward, but the 23-year-old found happiness again in Serbia, putting up 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per EuroLeague night with his hometown club Crvena Zvezda, being assisted by Facundo Campazzo and Luca Vildoza. With his rights still belonging to the 76ers, it won’t be surprising to see him proving his talent in the NBA next year.
Ismael Kamagate (Paris Basketball)
Victor Wembanyama isn’t the only French big man who could potentially play in the NBA next year. With interest coming from Milan, Ismael Kamagate’s rights still belong to the Denver Nuggets, and Mike Malone expressed his satisfaction towards the 22-year-old, selected in the 2022 NBA Draft with the No.46 overall pick first by the Detroit Pistons before being traded.
“He should be with us this summer and next year. He played Summer League with us last year, I got to know him and spend a lot of time with him. We have sent a member of our staff to Paris to follow him this season. He’s a good guy and has huge potential. He is fast, tall, and athletic. He can rebound, and play under the basket. We expect a lot from him in the future”, Denver’s head coach said, even if there are reports linking him with Milan.
Being close to averaging a double-double in the 7DAYS EuroCup with 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, he stood out as one of the most interesting profiles under the basket.
Ignas Bradzeikis (Zalgiris Kaunas)
Born in Lithuania in 1999, Ignas Bradzeikis grew up in Canada, where he started his basketball career before moving first to the Michigan Wolverines and then to the NBA, selected with the No.47 overall pick by Sacramento in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Following unsuccessful campaigns with New York and Orlando, however, the 24-year-old decided it was time to come back to his family roots, joining Zalgiris Kaunas with an NBA-out clause in his two-year deal with the green-and-white.
Averaging 11.6 points in his EuroLeague rookie season, he won both the Lithuanian league and the national cup. With participation coming soon in a mini-camp organized by the Toronto Raptors, as reported by Basket News, Zalgiris Kaunas’ number 17 may return to Canada.
Darius Thompson (Baskonia)
Having successful experiences with Happy Casa Brindisi alongside John Brown III and Lokomotiv Kuban with both Errick McCollum and Johnathan Motley looked promising, but what Darius Thompson has been capable of doing in his first-ever EuroLeague season was beyond expectations.
The 28-year-old, voted as “Best Newcomer” by his ELPA colleagues, made his presence felt since the beginning for Baskonia, averaging 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, pushing Joan Peñarroya’s team close to the Playoffs.
While there’s a lot of interest in him from high-level European teams, this may also be the right time to move to the NBA to try his chances there, coming back to America five years after coming out of Western Kentucky University.
Bilal Coulibaly (Metropolitans 92)
We started this list with Metropolitans 92’s brightest star, but Victor Wembanyama had good company in France this season. The 18-year-old Bilal Coulibaly, in fact, is getting more and more interest from NBA teams as the Draft gets closer, being offered a place in the green room as well.
Beginning the season by playing with the U21 representative team of Vincent Collet’s side, he ended up being a precious gem off the bench in the LNB Playoffs as well for Boulogne-Levallois, increasing both his minutes (17.5 to 26.8) and points (4.9 to 8.8) per game from the regular season.
Honorable mentions: Kyle Guy, Dante Exum
The players we talked about precedently in the list are all profitable assets for NBA teams especially for their current contractual status or for being young players entering the Draft. However, if we want to think mainly about fantasy, there are at least two players who may come back to the most attractive league in the world.
Helping Joventut Badalona first eliminate Baskonia and then being inches away to take Real Madrid out of contention in the ACB Playoffs, Kyle Guy said goodbye to Spain, but it’s not sure whether he will stay in Europe. With previous experiences in Sacramento and Miami, he could be the perfect sharpshooter fit for many American franchises after having 11.8 points in his EuroCup rookie season.
The 25-year-old Virginia alumn isn’t the only one who could potentially come back to the NBA after finding success in the Old Continent. Moving to Europe to join Barcelona in 2021, Dante Exum became a whole different player once meeting Zeljko Obradovic in Partizan. The former Utah Jazz Australian playmaker, who averaged 13.2 points in Belgrade is arguably producing his best basketball yet.
PHOTO CREDITS: Getty Images, EuroLeague, EuroCup, ACB