“The guy can undoubtedly play, and I think he would do well in the NBA. But I think it’s difficult that there are teams willing to give away their top picks (plus obviously a large sum of money) for him“. These were the words of one of the league’s general managers in reference to Vasilije Mičic. Last July, the Serbian born in 1994 had been repeatedly approached by the Chicago Bulls and compatriot Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, but his possible landing in the NBA ended in a dead end..
Multiple the reasons behind the black smoke. First among them would seem to be the demands of Mičic himself: a salary to be between $6 million and $7 million annually, to be part of the starting quintet, and finally to play with a contender (i.e., with a team deemed capable of winning a ring). Adding to the player’s high demands are the compensation costs that anyone wishing to acquire Mičic would have to fork over in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of his overseas tag. Finally, a further motivation can be found in the already massive presence of shooting guards in the NBA.
This web of reasons led once again to Mičic’s failure to land on North American shores, as pointed out by the player himself on July 20: “the deadline was today and I did not change teams. I stayed at Efes. But already in the past days I was at peace with myself, regardless of how the situation would develop. I feel good in Istanbul, and I don’t want to say anything that would harm my relationship with the team and the company.”.
Source: HoopsHype
