Following up on overseas reports indicating that big man Richaun Holmes was nearing a deal with Panathinaikos (hat tip to Eurohoops), Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) cites sources who say Holmes has agreed to sign a contract with the Greek club that will make him one of the highest-paid players in Europe.
Holmes, 31, was the 37th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Bowling Green and has spent the past decade in the NBA, suiting up for five different teams during that time. He had his best years in Sacramento, where he was the Kings’ full-time starting center and put up 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game across 61 outings in 2020/21.
Holmes has played a lesser role in recent years, including in 2024/25, when he made 31 appearances for the Wizards and averaged 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 17.2 minutes per night. His contract with Washington included a second season, but his $13.3MM salary for 2025/26 was almost entirely non-guaranteed and he was waived by the club last month.
After becoming an unrestricted free agent, Holmes drew interest from a handful of EuroLeague clubs, including Fenerbahce in Turkey. A report over the weekend stated he was mulling an offer from Panathinaikos while waiting to see if he’d be offered a guaranteed NBA contract. Today’s update suggests he didn’t get an NBA offer to his liking.
Assuming the deal doesn’t fall through before it’s officially finalized, the signing will wrap up a weeks-long saga for Panathinaikos — the Athens-based team targeted Jonas Valanciunas in early July and appeared to be on the verge of signing him to a three-year contract, but ultimately wasn’t able to pry him away from the Nuggets. Having missed out on Valanciunas, Panathinaikos continued to seek frontcourt help with an eye on NBA free agents, including Holmes and Precious Achiuwa.
Holmes will be looking to help lead Panathinaikos to a title or two in 2025/26 after the club fell just short this past season. The Greens went 22-0 during Greece’s regular season before losing to Olympiacos in the final. In the EuroLeague, Panathinaikos finished third with a 22-12 record but was defeated by Fenerbahce – the eventual champions – in the semifinals.
I recommend Holmes to play PF and shoot the ball