Free agent forward Jake Layman is headed to Europe to resume his playing career, with Spanish club Basquet Manresa announcing in a press release that it has signed Layman to a one-year deal. Jordi Valle Simó first reported (via Twitter) that Layman had reached an agreement with Basquet Manresa.
A Massachusetts native, Layman was in camp with the Celtics this fall competing for a spot on the regular season roster, but was beaten out by Noah Vonleh and Justin Jackson. Boston cut him at the end of the preseason and he went unclaimed on waivers.
A second-round pick in 2016, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. In total, the former Maryland forward has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.
Layman, who reportedly drew some interest from Greek team Panathinaikos as well, will play overseas for the first time in his professional career. His new team competes in Liga ACB (Spain’s top league) as well as FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
Basquet Manresa is at the bottom of the Liga ACB standings early in the 2022/23 season, having gotten off to a 1-6 start with a league-worst minus-96 point differential, so Layman will be looking to help turn things around.