The 27-year-old comes to the old continent after playing 161 games in the NBA.
Edmond Sumner joins Zalgiris
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Zalgiris Kaunas has moved quickly to fill the hole left by Naz Mitrou-Long by signing Edmond Sumner on a deal until the end of the 2023-24 season. Sumner (1.93 meters, 27 years old) has played a total of 161 games across five campaigns in the NBA, and he will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he first steps on the floor with Zalgiris.
Edmond Sumner in the NBA
Sumner, who spent three years at Xavier University, was selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, but was traded shortly after to the Indiana Pacers, where he made his name in the NBA. However, the guard first had to impress in the G League for Indiana’s affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, in the 2017-18 season before getting a shot on the biggest stage.
The 2018-19 campaign provided a platform for Sumner to show what he can do in a reserve role, averaging 2.9 points and 1.0 rebound in 23 games, mostly as a point guard. The American shifted to the ‘2’ position in the following season, 2019-20, and ended up playing 31 times for the Pacers, posting 4.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. His best scoring season to date came in 2020-21, when he averaged 7.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 53 appearances as a part-time starter.
Overcoming a big setback
Coming off the 2020-21 season, Sumner ended up tearing his Achilles tendon on September 9, 2021, and was traded in early October to the Brooklyn Nets. However, four days later, he was cut. Then, due to his injury, he missed the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign.
On July 8, 2022, Brooklyn took the decision to re-sign Sumner and he went on to play 53 times, 12 as a starter, and posted 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists on his return to the court in the 2022-23 season. Again, though, the Nets waived him in July 2023.
Trying something new
Coming to the EuroLeague offers Sumner a chance to start afresh, and even more so in front of a fan base as passionate as Zalgiris’s. Kazys Maksvytis led the Lithuanian side to the EuroLeague Playoffs last season, earning plenty of plaudits as a result.
The hope is that Sumner will hit the ground running and give Zalgiris an added boost, following the exit of Mitrou-Long to Olympiacos Piraeus on November 21, 2023, and the departure of Ignas Brazdeikis, also to Olympiacos, just before the season got underway.
There could be further additions yet at Zalgirio Arena, but the capture of Sumner, a player who has a good chunk of experience in the NBA, is certain to excite many Zalgiris supporters.