The beginning of the Euroleague is approaching, the start is scheduled for October 3, and the big teams are generally ready to welcome the new edition of the strongest European basketball competition.
During the transition period, many players returned from the NBA, some decided to stay in Europe, so the basketball market during the hot summer days was very interesting.
Accordingly, the renowned portal "Eurohoops" made a list of the 10 biggest reinforcements in the Euroleague this summer. How strong the list is is shown by the fact that it did not include, for example, Will Claiburn (moved to Virtus), Karlik Jones, who arrived in Partizan...
This is the list of the 10 biggest reinforcements in the Euroleague this season, according to the selection of the website "Eurohoops".
Evan Fournier - Olympiakos
With the arrival of the French veteran, Olympiakos has confirmed its biggest ambitions in the upcoming season's Euroleague. After a 12-year career in the NBA and 723 games for Denver, New York, Boston, Orlando and Detroit, Fournier returned to Europe and signed a two-year contract with the Athenian giant, with the option to continue the cooperation after that.
- If I ever return to Europe, my wish is for it to be Olympiakos - Fournije once wrote on the X social network.
His wish came true, and it seems that the wish of the Olympiakos fans came true as well, who organized a real party at the Athens airport to welcome the basketball winger.
Fournier averaged 6,9 points in the NBA last season in Detroit.
Saša Vezenkov - Olympiakos
Fournije was the second "bomb" of Piraeus in the summer transfer window. The first is without a doubt - Saša Vezenkov.
After an unsuccessful adventure in the NBA, the Bulgarian international returned to the place of success. With Olympiakos, he signed a five-year contract worth 18,5 million euros, so he became the second highest paid foreigner in the history of the "red and whites". The first is the famous Josh Childress.
The Bulgarian representative played for Olympiakos from 2018 to 2023. Then, the previous summer, he went to the NBA league, that is, to Sacramento, but he did not have a notable role. This summer, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, who eventually thanked him.
In the last season for Olympiakos, before leaving for the NBA, Vezenkov was declared the most valuable player of the Euroleague, and he also won the "Alfonso Ford" award for the best scorer.
Cedi Osman - Panathinaikos
There was a lot of work in the transition period in the "green" part of Athens. The current European champion, Panathinaikos, did a good job and brought Cedi Osman from the NBA.
Osman arrives at Panathinaikos after a season with the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged 6,8 points and 2,5 rebounds. He also played for Cleveland in the NBA.
The Turkish international was linked with Real Madrid in the previous days, and then the boss of Panathinaikos, Dimitris Janakopoulos, decided to delight the fans, so the wing basketball player arrived in the capital of Greece.
Lorenzo Braun - Panathinaikos
Before Osman, Panathinaikos signed Lorenzo Braun, who comes from Maccabi. The American point guard spent two seasons in Tel Aviv, and the previous season he averaged 13,2 points and 6,1 assists.
Braun also has experience in the NBA league, he played 107 games in the strongest basketball competition in the world, and then he arrived in Europe in 2019. His first team on the Old Continent was Red Star, and after that he played for Fenerbahçe and UNIKS.
Wade Baldwin - Fenerbahce
Another basketball player, who left Maccabi. But, unlike Brown, who arrived in Greece, Baldwin traveled to Turkey and reinforced Fenerbahçe.
Baldwin averaged 17,4 points and 4,9 assists last season, and for the second season in a row he was selected to the second best team in the competition.
Maybe it's time for him to be selected in the top five of the Euroleague at the end of the season?
Kevin Panter - Barcelona
During the transfer period, Partizan changed the entire team (only Balša Koprivica remained), so one of the players who left the "black and white" is captain Kevin Panter, who strengthened Barcelona.
The media also linked Pantera with "Blaugrana" the previous summer, but the American then decided to stay in Belgrade and extend his contract with Partizan.
Panther averaged 15 points in the Euroleague last season.
Barcelona has been trying for years to win the European title, which it has been waiting for since 2010 - this summer there were a lot of changes in the team, coach Đoan Peñaroja also arrived, so it will be interesting to see at the end of the season if all the dice were successfully stacked.
Furkan Korkmaz - Monaco
Another basketball player, who returned from the NBA to the Euroleague. Monaco was active in the transition period, the goal of the team from Monte Carlo is to return to F4 again, and one of the players who should have an active role in that business is Fukran Korkmaz.
The Turkish international has been in the NBA since 2017, and last season he averaged 2,5 points.
With Mike James and Niko Kalates, who arrived in Monaco this summer, coach Saša Obradović has a very high-quality team at his disposal.
Nik Kalates - Monaco
The transfer of Kalates from Fenerbahce to Monaco marked the summer transfer window.
The Greek played a key role in the quarter-final series between these two teams last season and is one of the most deserving players for Fener's placement in F4. Then he stopped Mike James in the quarterfinals, and this season he will try to take Obradović's team to the final tournament with him.
Kalates is a veteran, he has been in the Euroleague since 2009, and it is interesting that he won the title only once - in 2011 with Panathinaikos.
In the previous season, he averaged 7,1 points and 4,8 assists in this competition.
He played 358 games in the Euroleague.
Jordan Nwora - Ephesus
And Nvora arrived from the NBA. The Nigerian center played for Indiana and Toronto last season, and averaged seven points.
He played 219 games in the NBA, and also wore the jersey of Milwaukee.
Efes will be his first European club in his career.
Serge Ibaka - Real Madrid
Ibaka returned to Europe the previous summer and played excellently in the shirt of Bayern Munich. He confirmed his quality on the Euroleague courts, so he returned to Real Madrid, where he played during 2011, when there was a lockout in the NBA league.
With Ibaka and Edi Tavares, Real's coach, Ćus Mateo has perhaps the strongest central line in Europe.
Madrid's goal is clear - return to the European throne.
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