Filip Petrusev

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Long Island, Petrusev, Sixers

August 11th, 2023 at 7:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Jalen Brunson faced plenty of questions last summer entering his first season with the Knicks. He not only answered all of the questions, he “raised the bar” for the franchise and now he’ll face a different kind of pressure in 2023/24 as the “unquestioned leader” of the team, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscriber link).

As Braziller writes, Brunson put up career highs in nearly every major statistical category last season, but teams will be more focused on slowing him down in ’23/24. As Team USA’s probable starting point guard ahead of the World Cup, Brunson hasn’t shown any signs of being impacted by enhanced external expectations — if anything, he seems to thrive under increased scrutiny, which could be a boon for the Knicks, per Braziller.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The Nets‘ NBA G League affiliate in Long Island recently announced a series of coaching changes. Shawn Swords, who was an assistant last season, has been promoted to associate head coach under Mfon Udofia, while Travis Voigt, Andrew Cobian and L.D. Williams were named assistant coaches.
In an interview with Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net, Sixers big man Filip Petrusev discussed signing his first NBA contract, expectations (or lack thereof) for his rookie season, playing for the Serbian national team in the World Cup, and escaping the wildfires in Greece while he was vacationing with his girlfriend.
Appearing on NBA Today (YouTube link), ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne says the Sixers are still in a stalemate with former MVP James Harden, with no real trade talks at the moment. Shelburne also says Joel Embiid is motivated to enter 2023/24 in tip-top shape and is excited by the upside of Tyrese Maxey, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract but isn’t expected to receive an extension. It may seem like the franchise is in turmoil from the outside given Harden’s trade request, but Shelburne hears Embiid is in regular communication with the front office. While this season will undoubtedly be vital, next summer might be even more important for Embiid’s future, according to Shelburne, who notes that the reigning MVP is waiting to see what the roster looks like in ’24/25 with so few players under contract.

Contract Details: Yurtseven, Micic, Jones, Craig, Banton, Bazley, Petrusev

July 19th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz‘s deal with Omer Yurtseven is a two-year contract that features a partial guarantee for 2023/24 and is non-guaranteed in ’24/25, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

As previously reported, Yurtseven’s first-year salary is $2.8MM. His partial guarantee for the coming season is worth half that amount ($1.4MM), tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. The big man’s deal has a descending structure, Hoops Rumors has learned, so assuming he remains under contract through the first year, his cap hit for ’24/25 will dip to $2.66MM.

Here are more details on a few recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

Vasilije Micic‘s three-year, $23.5MM contract with the Thunder includes a team option in the third year, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The Spurs signed Tre Jones to a two-year contract with a descending structure, Hoops Rumors has learned. The guaranteed base salaries are worth approximately $9.9MM and $9.1MM, for a total of $19MM. Jones can earn an extra $1MM in unlikely incentives to increase the total value of the deal to $20MM.
Torrey Craig‘s two-year deal with the Bulls, which includes a second-year player option, is for the veteran’s minimum.
Dalano Banton‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Celtics is partially guaranteed for $200K in 2023/24. His guarantee will increase to a little over $1MM (50% of his salary) if he remains on the roster beyond the first day of the regular season. His second year is a team option.
Darius Bazley‘s one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets is non-guaranteed. He’ll receive a $200K partial guarantee if he makes the opening-night roster. That partial guarantee would increase to $700K if he’s still under contract beyond December 15.
The Sixers signed Filip Petrusev to a two-year, minimum-salary contract that is non-guaranteed in the second season. The first year is partially guaranteed for $559,782, which is half of the rookie minimum (and the equivalent of the full-season salary for a player on a two-way contract).

Sixers Sign Filip Petrusev

July 17th, 2023 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have signed draft-and-stash prospect Filip Petrusev, the team announced (via Twitter). Terms haven’t been released, but it will be a standard contract rather than a two-way deal, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia selected the 6’11” center with the 50th pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He made a positive impression during Summer League after spending the last two years playing for teams in Turkey and Serbia.

Petrusev, 23, was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year with Gonzaga in 2020 and earned second-team All-American honors from the NABC. He was a member of the EuroLeague champions in 2022 and the Serbian League and Serbian Cup winners this year.

Petrusev is the latest backup center to be added to a Sixers team that recently signed Mohamed Bamba, matched an offer sheet for Paul Reed and is expected to re-sign Montrezl Harrell. Once the deal with Harrell becomes official, Philadelphia will have 14 players with standard contracts.

Atlantic Notes: C. Johnson, Petrusev, Bamba, Keels

July 12th, 2023 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Cameron Johnson‘s new four-year contract with the Nets is front-loaded, with a cap hit of approximately $25.7MM in 2023/24. His cap charges in the subsequent three seasons will all be lower than that, including a drop to $21.6MM in ’25/26.

Discussing his new deal on Tuesday, Johnson explained that he hopes the structure of the contract will help the Nets be more financially flexible in future years than they would have been if he had agreed to traditional annual raises.

“Yes, that’s a big part of it,” Johnson said, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I want to be surrounded by the best players possible. I want to be on the best team possible. So as to how the contract is weighted, it’s not like they’re taking or adding anything to it, it’s just a distribution of it. So I was trying to be as flexible as possible in allowing the best for the team situation.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Will draft-and-stash prospect Filip Petrusev sign his first NBA contract with the Sixers this offseason? Head coach Nick Nurse seemed to suggest as much during an appearance on Tyrese Maxey‘s Maxey on the Mic podcast, referring to the 2021 second-rounder as a player “who’s going to be on the roster this year” (hat tip to Eurohoops). With James Harden‘s trade request still unresolved and Philadelphia bringing back Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell to go along with new addition Mohamed Bamba, it would be a little surprising if the team is fully committed to bringing Petrusev – another center – stateside for 2023/24, but it sounds like it might happen.
Speaking of Bamba, he spoke to reporters on Monday about his decision to sign with the Sixers and the role he expects to play with his new NBA team. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details, the former lottery pick will be looking to show that he can be relied upon as a regular rotation player. “The next step for me is just consistency,” Bamba said. “Barring any injuries, just being out there and, you know, doing what I do best, protecting the rim, touching the floor and being so much more of a lob threat.”
Restricted free agent guard Trevor Keels is looking to show the Knicks with his Summer League play that he deserves to be part of the team’s plans going forward, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. He’s off to a shaky start, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting during his first two games in Las Vegas — New York has been outscored by 52 points during his 33 minutes on the floor, per Braziller.

Atlantic Notes: Smart, Porzingis, Petrusev, VanVleet

July 2nd, 2023 at 11:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Celtics guard Marcus Smart had a conversation with team president Brad Stevens in mid-June and was assured at that time that he’d remain with the team this summer, Smart tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. A week later, he was gone, having been traded to the Grizzlies as part of a three-team package to send Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.

“It was a shock,” Smart said. “My agent called my fiancée and she woke me up out of a sleep, literally, right after the deal had been made and I think [the media] had already tweeted it out. That’s how we found out.”

The Celtics had originally intended to include another guard, Malcolm Brogdon, as part of a three-team deal with the Clippers that would have landed them Porzingis. However, those talks fell through, forcing Boston to pivot to the deal sending Smart to Memphis. Smart said he understands it’s a “business” and has no hard feelings toward the organization, even if he didn’t learn about his exit in the way he would’ve liked.

“Anybody who knows me knows that I’m the first one to tell people, you can’t put personal with business, it just doesn’t mix,” he said. “… But for me, it was just the [lack of] courtesy. They probably already knew they were thinking about trading me. They had this trade in their back pocket just in case something else didn’t happen.”

Smart enjoyed a solid run with the Celtics, even earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 en route to an NBA Finals appearance. His defense slipped somewhat in 2022/23, but he remain a valuable two-way leader on a club that wound up being just one win shy of a second consecutive Finals.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The two-year, $60MM extension Porzingis is finalizing with the Celtics could become as a massive monetary coup for Boston, argues Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. The reported deal, which will begin in 2024/25, is worth $17MM less than the maximum possible extension Porzingis could have signed off his current contract, and Forsberg believes a strong season would have put the big man in position to command even more money had he reached unrestricted free agency next summer. Porzingis enjoyed one of his healthiest seasons in years and was fairly effective with the Wizards on both sides of the hardwood in ’22/23.
Two years after being drafted with the No. 50 pick out of Gonzaga by the Sixers, big man Filip Petrusev is confident he can produce at the NBA level, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Following his selection in the draft, the 6’11” center suited up for teams in Turkey and Belgrade. Petrusev, who will play on Philadelphia’s summer league club this month, is hoping to ink a deal with the Sixers for the 2023/24 season.
Longtime Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, who won a title with Toronto in 2019, is moving on to the Rockets on a lucrative new contract. He penned a heartfelt farewell missive to the team on his official Instagram. “I am forever indebted to the franchise that gave me a shot when no one else would,” VanVleet wrote. “We built things together that can never be broken and accomplished things that will stand forever… To the city, franchise and country that watched me grow… THANK YOU.”

Five Draft-And-Stash Players Worth Knowing

November 25th, 2022 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Not every player drafted in a given year signs an NBA contract right away. Each year, at least a handful of draftees are “stashed” either in the G League or in various professional leagues around the world. The NBA team that drafted the player retains his exclusive NBA rights as he continues to develop his skills elsewhere.

Some of these players never end up making it to the NBA, whether by choice or because they don’t turn into an NBA-caliber contributor. Their draft rights eventually become more useful as placeholders in minor trades than for the possibility of the player coming stateside.

But many draft-and-stash players do eventually turn into useful contributors. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Davis Bertans, Cedi Osman, Dario Saric, Willy Hernangomez, Raul Neto, and Furkan Korkmaz are among the current NBA veterans who were stashed for at least one year after being drafted before signing an NBA contract.

Another member of that group? Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, the 41st pick in the 2014 draft, who remained in Serbia for a year before signing with Denver in 2015.

None of the players currently being stashed overseas are likely to turn into a Jokic-esque superstar at the NBA level, but there are certainly a few who look capable of cracking a rotation sooner or later.

Here are five of the most noteworthy draft-and-stash played worth keeping an eye on at the moment:

Vasilije Micic

Current team: Anadolu Efes (EuroLeague)
Drafted: 2014 (No. 52 overall)
NBA rights held by: Oklahoma City Thunder

Long considered one of the best guards in Europe, Micic was the EuroLeague’s Most Valuable Player in 2021 and has been named the MVP of the league’s Final Four in each of the last two seasons.

It looked like there was a chance he’d make his way to the NBA for the 2022/23 season, but there were a number of hurdles to overcome. Micic was reportedly seeking a salary close to the full mid-level exception and wanted a real, defined role rather than just coming over to sit on the bench.

The biggest roadblock may have been the fact that his NBA rights are held by the Thunder — the Serbian would reportedly prefer to join a contender, and Oklahoma City remains very much in the rebuilding stage.

Despite some offseason trade rumors, the Thunder ultimately held onto Micic and he opted to re-sign with Anadolu Efes in Turkey. He’s once again thriving in EuroLeague play, ranking third in points per game (18.9) and second in assists per game (6.6) through nine appearances.

Micic will turn 29 in January, so if he wants to try to make his mark in the NBA, it probably has to happen soon.

Sasha Vezenkov

Current team: Olympiacos (EuroLeague)
Drafted: 2017 (No. 57 overall)
NBA rights held by: Sacramento Kings

Vezenkov is coming off his best season in 2021/22, having led the Greek Basket League in scoring en route to an MVP award and a championship. He also earned a spot on the All-EuroLeague First Team.

The 27-year-old forward has looked even better so far in the ’22/23 season. Through 10 EuroLeague games, he’s second in scoring (20.1 PPG) and first in rebounding (8.7 RPG), leading Olympiacos to a 7-3 record.

After acquiring Vezenkov’s rights from Cleveland in a draft-day trade, the Kings reportedly planned to meet with him during the Las Vegas Summer League to discuss his future. However, that meeting didn’t end up taking place and Sacramento ultimately didn’t sign Vezenkov for the 2022/23 season.

It’s unclear whether it was the Kings or Vezenkov who backed off a potential deal, but based on how this season has played out so far, there’s reason to believe both sides could be more interested in teaming up next summer. Sacramento is off to a 10-7 start and has one of the NBA’s most exciting offenses, while Vezenkov is making a legitimate case for a EuroLeague MVP consideration.

Juhann Begarin

Current team: Paris Basketball (EuroCup)
Drafted: 2021 (No. 45 overall)
NBA rights held by: Boston Celtics

Still only 20 years old, Begarin played a significant role for Paris Basketball last season during the team’s first year in France’s top league (LNB Pro A) and is doing so again in 2022/23. The French shooting guard is a long-distance threat who showed off his scoring ability in Las Vegas this July, averaging 18.2 PPG in five games for Boston’s Summer League team.

It makes sense that a team with title aspirations like the Celtics wasn’t necessarily eager to bring over a 20-year-old prospect right away, but it seems like it’ll be just a matter of time before he gets his shot.

Former NBA assistant Will Weaver, who is now Paris’ head coach, raved about Begarin last month, referring to him as an NBA-caliber player who “can make an impact in Boston.”

Filip Petrusev

Current team: Crvena zvezda (EuroLeague)
Drafted: 2021 (No. 50 overall)
NBA rights held by: Philadelphia 76ers

Still just 22 years old, Petrusev already has an impressive international résumé. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Adriatic League (ABA) in 2021 as a member of Mega Basket, then won a EuroLeague title with Micic and Anadolu Efes in 2022.

The forward/center is currently playing for Crvena zvezda in his home country of Serbia and has been an effective role player in 10 EuroLeague appearances, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .543/.455/.625 shooting in 18.4 MPG. In five ABA games, his shooting percentages have been even better (.609/.800/.824).

Petrusev was reportedly interested in joining the Sixers this past summer, but there wasn’t room for him on a veteran-heavy roster. He has since expressed confidence in Philadelphia’s “plan” for him and said he believes competing in the EuroLeague will be a boon for his development.

Gabriele Procida

Current team: Alba Berlin (EuroLeague)
Drafted: 2022 (No. 36 overall)
NBA rights held by: Detroit Pistons

Procida is one of eight prospects who are playing in international leagues this season after being selected in the 2022 draft. The Italian wing was the first of those eight players to come off the board in June and may be the most intriguing of the bunch at the moment.

Although he’s only 20 years old, Procida is playing a rotation role for Alba Berlin in EuroLeague competition, averaging 7.2 PPG with a .351 3PT% in 16.7 minutes per contest.

Procida’s contract with Alba Berlin is a three-year deal and details about possible NBA outs haven’t been reported, so it’s unclear if and when we might see him in the NBA. However, he told Orazio Cauchi of BasketNews that the Pistons are in frequent contact with him and visited him in Berlin, so it sounds like he’s in the club’s plans going forward.

Sixers Notes: Tucker, Harden, Petrusev, Embiid

September 26th, 2022 at 4:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers’ major free agent acquisition this summer, veteran forward P.J. Tucker, had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, according to a team press release. He’s already been cleared for on-court work and will participate in the team’s training camp in Charleston, South Carolina.

The procedure took just 10 minutes, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Tucker clarified on Monday that the procedure was done six weeks ago, adding that he’s “back on the court and doing everything,” Derek Bodner of The Daily Six newsletter tweets.

We have more on the Sixers as they begin training camp:

Tucker said that he and James Harden were hoping to land Philadelphia sooner, Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice tweets. “Honestly, me and James were trying to come the year before,” Tucker said, presumably referring when both players suited up for the Rockets after Daryl Morey became Philly’s top executive. Harden was instead dealt to Brooklyn before he wound up with the Sixers last year with Ben Simmons landing with the Nets.
Draft-and-stash big man Filip Petrusev will spend at least another year in Europe, playing in his native Serbia after signing with Crvena Zvezda, as previously reported. According to Eurohoops.net, Petrusev is on board with the “plan” the Sixers have for him. “They supported it,” the No. 50 pick of the 2021 draft said in an interview with Mozzart Sport. “The EuroLeague is the highest level of competition in Europe and that’s where I’ll definitely develop the most.”
Joel Embiid said the team’s main goal this regular season is becoming a defensive force, Neubeck writes. “Our focus is on defense,” Embiid said. “We aim to be the best defensive team in the league, that’s going to take all of us.”
Harden says he’s happier and healthier after dealing with a nagging hamstring injury last offseason, Neubeck adds. “Mentally, it was very, very difficult to me, just because I was in love with the game of basketball. … It was very difficult, a lot of tough times, dark moments, which I’ve never really went through because I was always healthy and playing the game of basketball. But I’m in a really good space right now, and I feel like I’m back to where I needed to be, where I’m supposed to be.”

Filip Petrusev: Sixers “Have A Plan For Me”

August 4th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Selected by the Sixers with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Serbian big man Filip Petrusev remained overseas last season and is poised to do so again in 2022/23. However, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays, Petrusev suggested to MozzartSport that a future in Philadelphia remains possible.

“I went to the Summer League with Philadelphia, the team that drafted me,” Petrusev said, per Google Translate. “Being there, talking to everyone. They have a plan for me and everything is going according to that plan.”

Petrusev added that he didn’t play that much in Las Vegas last month because the Sixers were “focused on other players,” but he appeared in four games for the team, averaging 5.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 12.0 minutes per contest.

After winning a EuroLeague title with Turkish team Anadolu Efes last season, Petrusev will play in his home country in ’22/23, having signed with Crvena Zvezda. The Serbian club had a losing record in EuroLeague play last season, but won the ABA League title after finishing with a dominant 24-2 regular season record. Petrusev is looking forward to helping the team return to those heights while continuing to grow his own game.

“I considered my options and picked the team with the best possible conditions for development,” Petrusev said of his free agency decision. “That is why I signed with Crvena Zvezda.”

While it’s unclear if Petrusev is part of the 76ers’ plans for the 2023/24 season, the team’s front office will likely continue to keep a close eye on the ongoing development of the 6’11” forward/center, who is still just 22 years old.

Sixers Notes: House, Petrusev, Winston, Springer

July 10th, 2022 at 5:53pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers recently signed forward Danuel House as a free agent, giving him all of their bi-annual exception worth $8.4MM over two years, including a player option in the second season. With that in mind, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com explores what House can bring to Philadelphia’s roster.

As Neubeck details, most of House’s offensive value lies in his ability to hit outside shots, which he’s done inconsistently to this point in his career. Since he’s more of a ceiling-raiser rather than a floor-raiser, House tends to shoot much better when he doesn’t have to create for himself, which could portend well for the Sixers, since he’ll be reunited with James Harden.

For example, in 16 games with the rebuilding Rockets last season, House shot just 29.4% from three-point range, but that figure jumped up to 41.5% in 25 games with Utah. Overall, he holds a career mark of 36.6% from deep, which is definitely respectable (for context, the league average was 35.4% in 2021/22 and 36.7% in ’20/21).

The other side of the ball is where House has made most of his impact, Neubeck writes. The Jazz were significantly better defensively when House was on the court and he’s shown to be capable of guarding multiple positions, as well as playing multiple schemes.

Ultimately, Neubeck believes that if House can find consistency, he’ll have a good chance to outperform his contract and help the Sixers.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Filip Petrusev has a strong desire to transition to the NBA, but there might not be room on the roster in ’22/23, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I think every player wants to come as soon as possible,” Petrusev said. “I wanted to come last year, if you asked me. Yeah, for sure, whenever the time is, I’ll be ready.” Philadelphia selected the Serbian big man with the 50th pick of the 2021 draft and then stashed him overseas last season. He said he plans to keep signing one-year deals in Europe to ensure he’s available every offseason if things don’t work out this summer, per Pompey.
Cassius Winston, the 53rd pick of the 2020 draft out of Michigan State, struggled to make an impact during his first couple of seasons in the NBA, both of which were played on two-way contracts with the Wizards. League rules prevent players from staying on two-way deals with the same team for more than two seasons, and the Wizards weren’t interested in converting him to a standard deal, so he’s trying to make the most of his opportunity with Philadelphia’s Summer League squad, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (subscriber link). “It happens,” Winston said of the end of his time with the Wizards. “I feel like I had a really good season last year. I feel like they thought so, too. It’s just some things just don’t work out that way. Now I’m back in an opportunity where I get to go out here and just find a good organization, find a good team — somebody who believes in me, somebody who trusts me to throw me out there. That’s what I’m here for.”
In another story for PhillyVoice.com, Neubeck shares his Summer League observations thus far. According to Neubeck, 2021 first-rounder Jaden Springer has looked rough around the edges and hasn’t shown he’s capable of masking his weaknesses of dribbling and driving, so he’s going to have to improve his shot to have a chance to get minutes going forward. Springer only appeared in two games for a total of six minutes as a rookie last season, spending most of his time in the G League, where he shot just 24.1% from deep in 20 regular season games with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s affiliate.

Sixers Second-Rounder Petrusev Signs With Anadolu Efes

August 17th, 2021 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Filip Petrusev, the No. 50 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, has officially signed with Anadolu Efes, the Turkish club announced today (Twitter link). Petrusev received a one-year contract.

The agreement confirms that the 6’11” forward/center will be a draft-and-stash player for the 2021/22 season rather than immediately joining the Sixers. That has always been the plan, but Petrusev played for Philadelphia’s Summer League team and spoke earlier this month about wanting to come stateside right away. Instead, he’ll remain in Europe for at least one more year.

The 21-year-old is coming off a big year (23.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG) for Mega Basket in the Adriatic League and will get an opportunity to face a higher level of competition in the EuroLeague in 2021/22. Anadolu Efes won the EuroLeague championship in ’20/21.

The Sixers have 15 players on standard contracts, including 13 on guaranteed deals, and two more on two-way pacts. Second-rounder Charles Bassey remains unsigned and could be a candidate to fill the final spot on the team’s 15-man regular season roster if Anthony Tolliver isn’t retained.

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