After winning a title with the Warriors this season, veteran forward Nemanja Bjelica is headed back to Europe.
Bjelica has agreed to sign a two-year contract with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce, according to a report from Ugur Ozan Sulak of SocratesDergi.com (Twitter link). The deal will have a total net value of about $4MM, per Johnny Askounis and Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.
Golden State had been interested in re-signing Bjelica to a minimum-salary contract, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), but were informed today that he’d be leaving the NBA for one of his former teams overseas. Before he arrived in the NBA, Bjelica played for Fenerbahce for two seasons from 2013-15, earning EuroLeague MVP honors in ’15.
After spending six NBA in Minnesota, Sacramento, and Miami from 2015-21, Bjelica joined the Warriors for his seventh season and made 71 regular season appearances for the club this past year, averaging 6.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.2 APG with a .362 3PT% in 16.1 minutes per game.
Having won an NBA championship for the first time, the 34-year-old presumably liked the idea of returning to the EuroLeague, where he’ll earn a similar salary and have a far more significant role.
Damn, lost both of our Stretch-Bigs in the same day. Otto Porter and now Belly.
Rough day.
Theoretically, our Draft pick last week Patrick Baldwin can replace one of those Stretch-Bigs, but what about the other?
LaMarcus Aldridge? Frank Kaminsky? Luka Garza?
Baldwin is nowhere near ready to be a regular rotation player in the NBA. I assume Wiseman will get some of those big guy minutes that Bjelica played, assuming he can get healthy.
He got what he wanted. He signed with GSW a chance to win a ring. He now can go home and show off his hard work won him a ring.
Kinda wished he stayed for one more season but good for him. Going to have a far bigger role over there I guess.
Storytime: Bjelica almost left for Europe (or Philly) in 2018. Signed with Sacto, probably with a minutes promise. Controversial then, Philly mad, they had an agreement. More controversy when that promise interfered with Sacto’s new savior, Bagley, getting on the court. Execs fired after not picking Doncic or favoring youth at the 4. Belly was better though, by metrics if not eye test.
Now Belly does what he planned then… back home for minutes… after he got a ‘ship.