Kevin Seraphin will remain in the NBA for the coming season, after agreeing to a two-year deal with the Pacers this week. However, for most of the offseason, Seraphin had been expecting to play overseas in 2016/17, with FC Barcelona viewed as his likely landing spot. In an interview with Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype, the veteran big man explained why a deal in Spain didn’t materialize.
“Barcelona was my first option,” Seraphin said. “I talked to the GM. He called me. After that, I talked to the coach and they were my first option. But they made us wait. They were like, ‘We have to make room.’ Then they told us they could not do it because they couldn’t make room.”
Last week, a report indicated that Seraphin had switched representation, hiring Bouna Ndiaye after having been previously represented by Klutch Sports. The same report suggested that NBA opportunities were in play for the former 17th overall pick, and that was no coincidence. According to Seraphin, his new agent was calling NBA teams in search of a deal.
“I was looking forward to an opportunity to play a lot and show people what I can do,” Seraphin said. “Since it didn’t happen with Barcelona, we looked at opportunities in the NBA… And then Barcelona came back! But it was too late then because we were in the process of talking to NBA teams, then I tried out for a couple of days and now I’m with the Pacers.”
While Seraphin likely would have had a bigger role on the Spanish team than he will with the Pacers, he got a guaranteed deal worth more than the minimum salary from Indiana, and looks poised to be a part of the team’s regular-season roster. Indiana now has 16 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning someone with a guaranteed salary will have to be waived before the season gets underway.