Andrea Bargnani has received a contract offer from the Greek club Olympiacos, Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net reports. The power forward is not eager to head overseas to finish out the season, Varlas notes, but the team will require a definitive answer from Bargnani prior to Wednesday’s Euroleague transfer deadline. Bargnani was recently waived by the Nets in an apparent buyout arrangement. Also on Olympiacos’ radar is former Warriors big man Jason Thompson, who was waived via the stretch provision by Golden State in order to clear a roster spot for the newly signed Anderson Varejao.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Trail Blazers big man Meyers Leonard has had a tough season thus far dealing with injuries as well as a significantly reduced role for the team and he is trying to remain positive throughout it all, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes. “As a competitor, it’s a bit frustrating,” Leonard said. “I want to be out there. I want to help the team win. I’ve said it before and I truly believe this: I’m a starter, talent-wise. But sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice for the team, which I am. That’s just the kind of guy I am. So I have to keep working hard. I have to keep being a good teammate.“
- Heat executive Andy Elisburg noted that the front office was under no specific directive from ownership to get itself out of the luxury tax this trade deadline and stressed that the deals the team did make in no way compromised its playoff chances this season, Couper Moorhead of NBA.com relays. “There was never a mandate to get out of the tax,” Elisburg said. “We always look at the basketball and business benefits of every trade we make or choose not to make. Sometimes you make a trade to open up a roster spot. Sometimes you don’t make a trade because you like the players you have more than the players you may be acquiring. Once we determined that we did not have another trade to make, we chose to move forward with the opportunity to get under the tax.“
- The Wasserman Media Group has officially renamed itself the Wasserman agency, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today relays (via Twitter).
- A number of highly-touted freshman continue to fall in the latest 2016 mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes. Kentucky center Skal Labissiere, UNLV big man Stephen Zimmerman and Kansas small forward Cheick Diallo are some of the players who have fallen out of the projected draft lottery picks since the college season began, Zagoria writes.