Pallacanestro Varese announced the departure of Willie Cauley-Stein.
The former Kentucky big man ended his first experience in Europe with averages of 9.9 points, 9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 20 games.
Risoluzione consensuale tra Pallacanestro Varese e Willie Cauley-Stein
👉 https://t.co/6BHkqY5hqN pic.twitter.com/ZfJSkwb98x
— Pallacanestro Varese (@PallVarese) December 30, 2023
According to Slovenian portal 24ur Simone Pianigiani is finalizing the terms of his exit from Cedevita Ljubljana.
The team failed to win even one of the 13 games played in the Eurocup, but is second in ABA Liga with 10 wins.
The 54-year-old Italian coach is expected to find a friendly solution with the Slovenian club soon to solve the three-year contract signed last summer.
Zoran Martic will most likely lead Cedevita until the end of the season.
Zoran Dragic, under contract but out of the team, is expected to return to practice with the group soon.
Yesterday the team announced Pianigiani’s absence on the bench for the game against Mega MIS due to health reasons. Assistant Andrea Turchetto will take his place.
Fuenlabrada strengthens the roster with the arrival of Pato Garino.
The 30-year-old Argentine forward spent the 2022-23 season in Girona, averaging 4 points and 2 rebounds in the ACB.
Garino, who signed a deal until the end of this season, will be able to make his debut in the game against Betis.
💥¡FICHAJE!
🏀Pato Garino, nuevo jugador del Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
👏🏽 El argentino podrá debutar mañana en el encuentro ante el Betis
¡Bienvenido!👋🏽#FuenlADN #MiFuenla pic.twitter.com/5bGjHKuhAx
— Flexicar Fuenlabrada (@BFuenlabrada) December 29, 2023
Italian and Euroleague side Virtus Bologna is facing a long, several months absence after US center Devontae Cacok suffered a “serious” knee injury during yesterday’s win at Partizan Belgrade. Sources confirm to Sportando that Cacok is “out for the season”. Virtus Bologna, after adding Rihards Lomazs to replace Jaleen Smith, is almost certain to look for a replacement for Cacok in the upcoming days.
French side ASVEL Villeurbanne is not considering the addition of new players and, instead, is evaluating Gianmarco Pozzecco position as head coach of the club according to Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of BeBasket, who adds that this could be a “transition” season for the team while waiting for Vincent Collet after the 2024 Olympics.
Pozzecco replaced TJ Parker in October and has a 2-11 record in Euroleague (2-15 overall for the team, last in the standings), 7-2 in BetClic Elite, where ASVEL sits at 3rd place tied with Paris Basketball.
Une nouvelle défaite de trop pour Pozzecco ?
L'ASVEL a mis en pause ses recherches de joueurs. Le club pourrait changer une deuxième fois de coach cette saison.
Plus que jamais, on s'oriente vers une saison de transition… pour attendre Vincent Collet à l'issue des JO 2024 ? https://t.co/2hHcx6N2Bj
— Gabriel Pantel-Jouve (@GabrielPJ_) December 29, 2023
Kevin Pangos has reached an agreement with Valencia and could make his ACB debut as early as next week, a source told to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.
The Canadian point guard has terminated his contract with Olimpia Milano.
Pangos returns to Spain, where he previously played for Gran Canaria and Barcelona.
Kevin Pangos-Valencia is a done deal, Im told.
The Canadian point guard will be able to play his first game in taronja jersey next week. pic.twitter.com/2vVTU8TYGU
— Alessandro Luigi Maggi (@AlessandroMagg4) December 28, 2023
Alec Peters has already reached an extension agreement until 2026 with Olympiacos. This is what was reported to Sportando.
The American forward is traveling at an average of 14.9 points and 5.3 rebounds this EuroLeague season.
ASVEL submitted an offer to Martin Hermannsson to strengthen the backcourt, reports BeBasket.
The 29-year-old from Iceland is coming from a long stint out due to a serious left knee injury.
This year Hermannsson played 6 games with Valencia between Euroleague and ACB.
The possible arrival of Kevin Pangos in Spain could favor his move to France.
Former Brindisi Josh Perkins has left Uralmash Yekaterinburg and signed until the end of the season in Greece with Apollon Patras.
The point guard produced 5.4 points on average with 4.3 assists in VTB this season.
Apollon Patras BC has reached an agreement with Josh Perkins for the rest of the 2023-24 season, according to @SportalgrG. Perkins is a Gonzaga alumn and he started the season in Russia with BC Uralmash Yekaterinburg. #Gonzaga #Basketball
— Christos Tsaltas (@Tsaltas46) December 27, 2023
Valencia coach Alex Mumbru commented on the market rumours about Kevin Pangos on the eve of the EuroLeague match with Bayern Munich.
“The roster is always alive, right now we have 12 players available counting Justin (Anderson, latest arrival, ed), the reality is that we hardly have the 15 first team players. The sporting director, Luis Arbalejo, always keeps an eye on the market’.
According to Relevo, these are the decisive hours for the passage, or not, of Kevin Pangos to Valencia.
According to Sportal, Alec Peters and Olympiacos have started negotiations for a new contract.
The forward averaged 15 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in the Euroleague this season, with a rating of 17.3.
There is still no agreement between the two parties, but there is optimism about a positive outcome of the negotiations.
MoraBanc Andorra signs Alexander Madsen. This was revealed by Relevo.
The Finnish centre has averaged 6.3 points with 6.1 rebounds this season with VEF Riga in LBL.
Hapoel Tel Aviv strengthens the roster on the perimeter with the arrival of Dez Wells.
The Maryland product started the season in the CBA with Jilin Northeast (19.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists).
Wells signed a two-month contract with an option until the end of the season.
הפועל שלמה ת''א מודיעה על החתמתו של הגארד/פורוורד דז וולס (31, 1.96). וולס, שיצטרף לקבוצה בבלגרד לקראת המשחק מול המבורג חתם לחודשיים עם אופציה להארכת החוזה עד לסיום העונה.
אחרי שסיים את לימודיו במכללת מרילנד, החל את הקריירה האירופית שלו בדוקסה היוונית, משם עבר לפזארו ואבלינו… pic.twitter.com/xLnpLd9KG3
— Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) December 25, 2023
Talented NBA prospect Nikola Topic is returning to Crvena Zvedza, the Serbian team announced.
Topic started the season on loan to Mega Bemax, where he was averaging 18.5 points (61% FG, 31% 3P, 87% FT) and 6.5 assists per game in ABA Liga.
The 18-year-old Serbian point guard is ranked ninth in ESPN’s latest NBA Draft Top 25.
Nikola Topic returned to Red star!#BeoBasket pic.twitter.com/r2QTGJfGNZ
— Misko4Raznatovic (@MiskoRaznatovic) December 26, 2023
Zvezdino dete se vraća kući!
To je TOP!Welcome back home, Nikola 🔴⚪️❤️@MilosTeodosic4 🙌🏼#kkcz #WeAreTheTeam pic.twitter.com/Ykfvu4WhI6
— KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) December 26, 2023
NEWS: Projected top-10 pick Nikola Topic will return from loan to Euroleague team Red Star after his successful stint in Mega MIS, a source told ESPN. Big opportunity for the talented 18-year old Serbian PG to show his talent at the highest level of European basketball. pic.twitter.com/p2922wE82e
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 26, 2023
Segafredo Virtus Bologna has finalized the signing of Rihards Lomazs, a source told Sportando.
The Latvian guard arrives from Merkezefendi, where he was scoring 14.6 points with 2.3 assists per game in the BSL.
The negotiation was reported by Luca D’Alessandro.
Lomasz previously played in the Euroleague with Asvel from 2019 to 2021.
Relevo talks about the possible move of Kevin Pangos to Valencia, a negotiation that has been going on for some time now.
The point guard has reportedly refused a transfer to Red Star, but would favor the Spanish solution.
The problem is economic, as the player does not want to give up the rich salary received with Olimpia, the Spanish portal explains.
Obviously without an agreement to terminate his contract with Milan, the Canadian point guard will not be able to accept Valencia’s offer.
Valencia wants Pangos to pair him in the point guard role alongside Stefan Jovic, with Chris Jones being freer to utilize his talents off the ball.
A deal would benefit all parties involved; the next few hours will be decisive.
Partizan on Nicolò Melli? Sources from Serbia for ROM, and the Telesport website, deny the news. The Belgrade club would not be on the trail of Olimpia Milano’s captain.
2.5 million euro per year offer on the table for a two-year period? This is what emerged today in Corriere della Sera, but the negotiation is not confirmed.
Nicolò Melli will end a three-year €6 million deal with the biancorossa club on 30 June 2024. The renewal negotiation between the parties would not have entered into full swing, given the complexity of Olimpia Milano’s season so far, but Partizan does not seem to be an option.
The feeling is that the will of the club, and of Nicolò Melli, is to find an agreement, the last big contract of the Olimpia Milano and Italbasket captain’s career. And Partizan will not be the third wheel.
So, it is difficult today to imagine a future away from Milan for Nicolò Melli. Whose dream, as reiterated this summer in the podcast with Gigi Datome, is to play another EuroLeague final in red and white.
Bahçeşehir are about to close the deal on the bench with Dejan Radonjic.
Currently, the team, led by Sinan Atalay, is coming off a success over Samunspor on 23 December, and has a 6-7 record in the BSL.
Radonjic left the Panathinaikos bench in the EuroLeague in February. The president of the Turkish club Hasan Arat has already announced the merger with Besiktas for next season and is working on a wild card in the EuroLeague.
Bahçeşehir Koleji, koç Dejan Radonjic ile anlaşmak üzere. Haber ilk olarak Sırp basınında çıktı. Bahçeşehir’in yeni başkanı Begüm Yücel, geçtiğimiz hafta Belgrad’da Dejan Bodiroga ile görüşmüştü. Şimdi de eski bir Euroleague koçunu transfer ediyor. “Kapanmayacağız” mesajı çok net https://t.co/jHaIBexCRB
— İsmail Şenol (@ismailsenol) December 26, 2023
According to Corriere della Sera’s Flavio Vanetti, Partizan are ready to put a €2.5 million a year offer on the table for Nicolò Melli.
Melli, captain of Olimpia Milano, sees his three-year contract signed in 2021 expiring on June 30 for around €2 million net per season.
At Partizan, the Azzurri captain would find Zeljko Obradovic, one of the most decisive coaches in Melli’s line-up, and with whom he also played a EuroLeague final at Fenerbahce.
AEK evaluates Jordan Morgan to replace Mfiondu Kabengele.
The centre is averaging 6.2 points and 4 rebounds in VTB with Kuban.
AEK BC is monitoring Jordan Morgan according to @SportalgrG. AEK wants a big man to replace Mfiondu Kabengele, and Morgan is in the shortlist.
He plays in VTB League with Lokokotiv Kuban, averaging 6.2 points and 4 rebounds per game this season. #aekbc— Christos Tsaltas (@Tsaltas46) December 26, 2023
Partizan Belgrade made official the signing of Jaleen Smith. The American Croatian guard comes from Virtus Bologna.
Valencia has announced the signing of Justin Anderson, a former NBA first-round pick who completed his deal with Breogan Lugo yesterday.
Anderson put together averages of 12.6 points, 2.5 assists, one block and 1.7 steals in 12 games between BCL and ACB.
The Virginia product signed a 45-day contract that can be extended until the end of the season.
Anderson will join immediately the Taronja team’s practices and could make his debut in Euroleague on Thursday, Dec. 28 against Bayern Munich
🎅 Papá Noel se ha adelantado…
🧡 Benvingut, @JusAnderson1!
Cas 👉 Valencia Basket se refuerza con la llegada de Justin Andersonhttps://t.co/mbZPQqgufv
Val 👉 Valencia Basket es reforça amb l'arribada de Justin Andersonhttps://t.co/kDCn2tJf9u
Eng 👉 Valencia Basket is… pic.twitter.com/lbWqfyyyfq
— Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) December 24, 2023
Jaleen Smith leaves Virtus Bologna and signs with Partizan. This was announced by Israeli journalist Arel Ginsber.
The contract will be until the end of the season with a renewal option for 2024-2025.
🚨🚨More details :
The deal is until the end of the season with an option to extend for another year
Smith will be able to play in the Euroleague games for Partizan only from the 18th round
The contract is already signed and Jaleen will land in Belgrade in the upcoming days✍🏻 https://t.co/ZwpoqTjpQO
— Arel Ginsber (@ArelGinsber8) December 23, 2023
Betram Derthona’s defeat against Nutribullet Treviso will cost Marco Ramondino the bench. This is what we learned in these minutes from Sportando.
The team will pass into the hands of Walter De Raffaele, two Scudetti with Reyer Venezia.
De Raffaele vicinissimo a Tortona. Era Ramondino vicina alla conclusione #Derthona pic.twitter.com/VN0an1hVEx
— Matteo Carniglia (@mcarniglia20) December 23, 2023
Buducnost has announced the signing of Nikola Tanaskovic.
The 26-year-old Serbian forward arrives from Igokea, where he was producing 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game between ABA Liga and BCL.
Tanaskovic signed a contract through 2026.
Nikola Tanasković novo pojačanje Budućnost Volija! 🔵⚪️https://t.co/YD6TePwbtk#KKB pic.twitter.com/49jrt6QIwV
— KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) December 23, 2023
Justin Anderson signs with Valencia, so Rio Breogan immediately replaces him with Ben McLemore.
The guard left Aek Athens where he produced 9.2 points on average with 3.4 rebounds in five BCL games.
Former AEK and NBA player Ben McLemore is moving to Breogan to replace Anderson.
Done deal this morning, more on @Eurohoopsnet and @EurohoopsES https://t.co/QAOrtK72vz
— Aris Barkas (@arbarkas) December 22, 2023
Bertram Derthona announced the signing of Colbey Ross.
Ross has been Serie A MVP last season while with Varese averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
The American started the season with Buducnost.
Reyer Venezia are close to an agreement with centre Mfiondu Kebengele, but according to Repubblica, Virtus Bologna could also make their move.
According to Sportando, Reyer Venezia have had a full agreement for a few days now with Mfiondu Kabengele, the Canadian centre who is averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in the four games played with Aek Athens in the BCL.
In fact, the Orogranata club would only have to sustain the buyout to free the 207-centimetre, 113-pound class of 1997 from Burlington, Ontario.
However, according to Repubblica, Virtus Bologna would be evaluating the player. In the case, Kebengele could hardly say no to the offer of a club launched in the LBA and EuroLeague.
However, the club would first have to give up Devontae Cacok’s contract. Who, according to Repubblica, would be in the sights of Hapoel Tel Aviv and Venice itself. Who would then have their “plan B”, although it would have to be agreed upon economically given the high salary with the “Vu Nera”.
Olimpia Milano at the details of the transaction for Shabazz Napier.
Post di @alessandro_luigi_maggiVisualizza su Threads
Shabazz Napier will be an Olimpia Milano player. Ettore Messina’s words in the post-game with Asvel (‘I have no news to give you’) should be read in the light of common sense, caution and respect towards Red Star, at the moment still holding the player’s contract.
#Shabazz #Napier left Belgrade this afternoon and flew to #Milanо, where he will soon join his new/old teammates in #Olimpia after an unsuccessful episode in #Crvena #Zvezda.#KKCZ #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/9A0R6aDZoL
— Marko Ljubomirović (@LjubomirovicM) December 20, 2023
In the meantime, Napier, who was spotted at Belgrade airport yesterday, has arrived in Milan to speed up the final paperwork for what will be a contract until 30 June 2024, i.e. just over six months.
The desire of the parties is to close the deal with Crvena Zvezda soon, free the Roxbury playmaker from the existing bonds and deposit the contract in the italian league.
It is a race against time to line up the UConn product already on Sunday 24 December in the Lombardy derby against Cremona. A mission that is anything but simple.
Openjobmetis Varese has reached an agreement with Nico Mannion, a source told Sportando.
The Italian national team point guard returns to the LBA after the first part of the season spent with little success in Spain with Baskonia.
