The NBA exodus appears to be over for overseas players, and as the number of available NBA roster spots dwindles, the NBA influx into Euroleague begins. Here's a recap of this week's notable transfers and rumors.
The Euroleague offseason began how it often does with the league's top talent heading to the NBA. Sasha Vezenkov left Olympiacos and signed with the Sacramento Kings, Vasilije Micic left Anadolu Efes Istanbul and signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dante Exum left Partizan Belgrade for the Dallas Mavericks.
We are officially in phase two of the offseason, when NBA teams have all but finalized their rosters before training camp meaning players on the outside looking in — including players who were on NBA rosters last season — begin to consider moves to European teams.
This past week alone saw many recognizable NBA names pop up in rumors and even make official moves, such as Raul Neto who spent last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
These names are certainly just the beginning as plenty of European teams are still looking for high-level reinforcements for the upcoming season.
Olympiacos still hasn't replaced Kostas Sloukas, Partizan Belgrade has not replaced Dante Exum or Matthias Lessort, Virtus Bologna hasn't replaced Milos Teodosic, and Alba Berlin is well… doing whatever they do. But they did make a nice signing this week that Minnesota Timberwolves fans should be aware of.
All that, and more, in this week's Euroleague rumors roundup.
Euroleague transfer rumors: Raul Neto officially signs with Fenerbahce
Being a decent backup point guard is not an easy NBA career, and it offers very little individual security. You practically never sign a long-term contract, you're on a salary that can be thrown in as trade filler at any given moment, and a poor stretch of play in your limited minutes can quickly be detrimental.
Maybe, for these reasons, Brazilian Raul Neto has decided to leave the NBA and sign with Fenerbahce for the upcoming Euroleague season. Neto is easily an upgrade on former Florida point guard Nick Calathes who ran the show for the Turkish club last season and could be a very impactful player.
Neto's ability to stay in the NBA for eight years after being a late second-round pick was due to his skill as a pick-and-roll point guard. He may not be the biggest, fastest, or strongest player on the court but boy can he move the pieces on the board to make a play happen.
Euroleague success is often dependent on having a point guard who can thrive at running high pick-and-rolls, and Neto will bring exactly that to Fenerbahce who are looking to make their first Final Four appearance since 2019.
Euroleague transfer rumors: Matteo Spagnolo signs with Alba Berlin
Since joining Euroleague in 2019, Alba Berlin are yet to make the playoffs and after going 11-23 last season they don't seem set up for reversing their fortunes. Twenty-year-old Italian wing Matteo Spagnolo will certainly try to change that.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have Spagnolo's rights after selecting him with the 20th pick of the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Their front office will be watching closely as Spagnolo will certainly be given a healthy amount of responsibility at the highest level of basketball in the world besides the NBA.
Spagnolo will be on display for Italy at the 2023 FIBA World Cup as well and is coming off a strong season with Italian side Trento. He averaged 12.21 points per game and 3.38 assists per game. If Alba wants to make strides, they're going to need Spagnolo to lead the charge.
Euroleague transfer rumors: Ben McLemore is taking his talents to Greece
Ben McLemore was dubbed by some to be the next big thing when he was coming into the NBA in the 2013 draft. McLemore went seventh in what turned out to be a weird — Anthony Bennett was drafted first overall — and weak class.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert are the only players to go All-NBA, and they were selected 15th and 27th respectively.
Following the draft, McLemore struggled to establish himself as anything more than a bench shooter in the NBA. In his sophomore season with the Sacramento Kings, he averaged 12.15 points per game, a career-high.
In his seventh season in the league, he signed with the Houston Rockets who were known for shooting as many three's as possible at the time. McLemore shot 452 threes that season on 40 percent accuracy, not bad, but not good enough to land a stable contract anywhere.
McLemore played briefly in China last season and was practically non-existent beyond that.
He's now signed with FIBA Basketball Champions League club AEK Athens. He joins two other former NBA players Jordan McRae and Mindaugas Kuzminskas under new Spanish head coach Joan Plaza.
AEK likely won't have enough to topple Olympiacos or Panathinaikos, but they should be good enough to give either of those teams a series and potentially win Basketball Champions League.
Euroleague transfer rumors: Mike James' future is unclear
Every summer, there is at least one Euroleague transfer rumor that manages to get more confusing by the day. This summer, there have been two.
First was Nikola Mirotic, which we recapped last week. Second, is now former Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns guard Mike James.
Even after making the Final Four last season, Monaco is using the summer to strengthen their roster. New signings Petr Cornelie, Mam Jaiteh, and Terry Tarpey were headlined by former All-NBA player Kemba Walker.
Walker's arrival raised question marks about James' future with the club even though he signed a two-year extension last summer. Since then, some rumors have been reported about Olympiacos and Partizan – two teams who need a quality starting point guard – pursuing the player.
All of this hoopla led to this:
James has never shied away from the social media spotlight, and unfortunately, this tweet has not been followed with any official announcement of a contract extension.
One would assume Monaco wants to keep James given Walker's weak knees, but crazier things have already happened this summer, so be ready for any possible outcome to happen.
Euroleague transfer rumors: P.J. Dozier could be a fit for Partizan Belgrade
P.J. Dozier has bounced between the NBA and the G-League endlessly since 2017. He's had some moments in the NBA, including scoring a career-high 23 points in his first ever NBA start with the Denver Nuggets.
He amassed six starts and 50 appearances for the Nuggets that season, first-everhs, and also averaged 20.45 points per game while shooting 38% from three on 96 attempts in a handful of G-League games last season.
The talent is clearly there for Dozier, but the opportunity hasn't been. Opportunity, however, is available in Serbia with Partizan Belgrade in desperate need of quality starting point guard following the loss of Dante Exum and Yam Madar this summer.
It's always hard to predict how a player's game will translate for their rookie Euroleague season, but Dozier's size and athleticism paired with his improved shooting and playmaking skills give reason to believe he could be a breakout player for the black-and-white next season.
At this stage, the transfer appears to be done, and we're only waiting for an official announcement from the club.
