Lithuanian forward Arnoldas Kulboka is remaining with Spanish club Bilbao Basket for next season after receiving interest from Zalgiris Kaunas in his home country, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 22-year-old was selected by the Hornets with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2018 draft, but has yet to sign an NBA contract.
According to Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link), Kulboka’s agent Tadas Bulotas said that if not for the coronavirus pandemic, his client was planning to join the Hornets this year. As leagues take different approaches to COVID-19, the NBA offseason will no longer necessarily line up with the offseason for European leagues, complicating decisions for players looking to make the jump one way or the other.
Kulboka could potentially revisit the possibility of joining the Hornets in 2021.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- NBA scouts believe Magic forward Aaron Gordon is best suited to play power forward and also feel as if he tries to do more than he should in Orlando, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I think the thing for him is he just has to realize that he has to accept that he is going to be a high-level role player — a borderline All-Star if he plays his role really well,” one scout told The Athletic. “I think in his mind there are times when he sees himself in the same vein as some of the superstars, and I think sometimes that can get in his way.”
- In a separate mailbag article for The Athletic, Robbins examines the Magic‘s free agency outlook and discusses whether it would make sense for the team to experiment with playing Nikola Vucevic and Mohamed Bamba alongside one another.
- After spending most of the NBA’s hiatus in California, Heat forward Andre Iguodala has returned to South Florida, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. In Miami, Iguodala will be able to take advantage of the team’s reopened practice facility for individual workouts. Jimmy Butler and Solomon Hill are now the club’s only players not in town, Winderman notes.
I don’t like Aaron Gordon and Jrue Holiday on title contender because the cant shoot now
Shooting is the most important
Aaron Gordon for Eric Gordon is not a good trade
Actually like Arron Gordon on the Heat alot. Magic just aren’t the right fit for him right now.
Nunn, Olynik, 2020 1st for Gordon, 2020 2nd would be good for both teams and address needs of each.
Nunn who is third or fourth in ROTY and a first would be to much for Gordon.
I like Gordon and maybe he would be alright in Miami but I don’t think it’s a great fit.
I like Aaron Gordon for DeMare DeRozan sign and trade or Aaron Gordon for Davis Bertans sign and trade or Aaron Gordon for Caris LeVert
I suspect Orlando would have to send Gordon at least out-of-state. I would like to see him with Dray at GSW or with Towns at MIN. GSW would probably have to send Wiggins though, a truer SF for ORL, which I doubt happens… major trades are hard.
Another season playing abroad probably wouldn’t hurt Kulboka. Judging from his stats, looks like he is able to score it a little bit. It’d be nice to see a 3rd year though, just to see if he trends up again.