Report: Vezenkov informed Kings he does not plan to return next season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Sasha Vezenkov’s NBA career could be short lived.
The Kings forward, who tested the NBA last season with Sacramento, has informed the Kings that he has no intention of returning for the second year of his contract, Eurohoops Greek journalist Mihalis Stefanou reported on Saturday.
Currently, the decision is “open” on whether Vezenkov will continue his basketball career in the NBA or return to Europe, Stefanou added.
After shining in the EuroLeague, Vezenkov signed a two-year, $20 million contract with Sacramento and tested the waters in the NBA. But his first experience with the best basketball league in the world was no walk in the park.
Vezenkov was in and out of Kings coach Mike Brown’s rotation, recording nearly a dozen DNPs.
He also took care of consecutive ankle injuries which left him out of the game for nearly 30 games.
In 42 games last season, Vezenkov averaged 5.4 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range, adding 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes.
Throughout the season, Vezenkov was honest with self-assessment of his progress in the NBA.
“I’m trying,” Vezenkov told reporters in November. “I’m trying to study the game, study the players. I will never be a closed defender, let’s be honest, but I want to be solid. I want to try to help the team and not be exposed. And I think I’m improving every game.
“But I don’t want to talk about me when they scored 131 points, there’s only so much you can say. We didn’t play good defense today, everyone. So we have to see where we can improve.”
The progress was definitely there and, like any NBA rookie, there were also the struggles.
Brown also acknowledged that it would take time for the sharpshooter to adjust to the league.
“He’s still a work in progress. I’m still seeing flashes of him playing at a high level and seeing how he can impact the game on both ends of the floor,” Brown said in November. “It’s going to take time. It will take him time to adapt to the league and it will take us time to adapt to him and vice versa. He will have good games and he may have a bad game here or But he is a guy who knows how to play. He loves it a lot .Works his butt when he’s outside.
“And obviously he has to be protected on the offensive end of the court. He does a lot of little things like rebounding and boxing guys out and trying to be in the right position to help, things that don’t really show up all the time.” the statistics sheet. That’s what can help him get over the hump and give him more playing time if he continues to do it at a high level.”
The EuroLeague standout forward averaged 17.2 points per game and shot 53.8 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3-point range in 38 games played for Olympiacos. He ranked second in the league in both rebounds (6.8) and two-pointers (4.4).
He was named the Euroleague Most Valuable Player for the 2022-23 season.
Despite his supposed desire to exit the NBA for now, the decision is ultimately not up to Vezenkov. The Kings would have to do without him since he has a guaranteed year of $6.6 million for the 2024-25 season. Sacramento has a team option for 2025-26 for $6.9 million.
And while his success in the EuroLeague didn’t directly transfer to the NBA, Vezenkov never lacked heart and effort when his number was called. And like Kings general manager Monte McNair and Co., it appears Vezenkov has a tough decision to make this offseason.