By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
Summer is one of the favorite periods for basketball fans since the interest surrounding the various transfer scenarios that are out there peaks.
Coaches, in collaboration with the teams’ management, start planning out the next season, which, among other things, includes departures but also important transfers. At the epicenter, of course, there are the players who are free agents and who are negotiating with teams in order to pick the next step in their career.
Eurohoops presents a list of 10 athletes in no particular order who are free agents and who are expected to grab the attention of EuroLeague clubs as well as others…
Nick Calathes
Stats: 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8 assists, 18.5 PIR
When it comes to Nick Calathes, there’s no need for any special recommendations. Panathinaikos’s leader is coming off an outrageously good season, during which he broke the single-season assist record in the history of the EuroLeague and proved that he’s the best player in his position.
The contract with the Greens formally expires in a few days and the Greek team’s management has already made its move in order to continue working with the Greek playmaker. Of course, a lot will depend on the offers that Calathes will get from the other side of the Atlantic, while Fenerbahce and Khimki are also expected to take an interest.
Calathes’s value is very high but he’s more than worth it. He’s undoubtedly at the top of the list of point guards on the free agent market and his name is going to be mentioned a lot in the next few weeks.
Brad Wanamaker
Stats: 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 12.9 PIR
Brad Wanamaker adapted quickly in Fenerbahce and he helped them reach the EuroLeague final, where he chalked up 14 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. The coveted back-to-back win may not have been achieved but the American once again proved that he belongs in the elite of European basketball and that he has a place in any roster.
A few weeks after winning the championship, Wanamaker’s contract with the Turkish club expires and despite an assurance from Obradovic that the player will not leave, this is by no means certain.
There are already plenty of reports speaking of a 3 million euro offer by Barcelona and it’s a given that the 28-year-old combo guard will attract the interest of even more clubs.