Pacific Notes: Vezenkov, Walker, Leonard, Williams

Sasha Vezenkov may not play for the Kings in the near future. The EuroLeague star has signed a contract extension with Olympiacos through the 2024/25 season, Eurohoops.net relays.

The Kings acquired the NBA rights to Vezenkov, 27, from Cleveland in a draft-day trade. However, the contract does include a buyout of over one million euros (approximately $1.1MM in U.S. dollars). He was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team last season and is enjoying another highly productive season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Lonnie Walker IV will miss his second straight game on Monday against the Hornets because of a tailbone contusion, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Walker is averaging 14.7 points in his first season with the Lakers.
  • Kawhi Leonard is listed as questionable for the Clippers’ game against Miami on Monday due to a non-COVID illness, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Leonard has averaged 23.2 points in his last four games.
  • Suns coach Monty Williams believes the adversity the team is going through could be beneficial in the long run, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Williams suggested that when Phoenix cruised to the league’s best record last season, things may have come too easy. “Last year, I felt like we won, but we didn’t learn. I love winning, but I think it’s a benefit to your program to continue to learn, and win. … I think all of this is going to pay dividends for us going forward, if we learn,” Williams said.
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