We are one week closer to the start of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, with clubs continuing to make tweaks to their rosters as they prepare for the campaign ahead. This week has seen some household names switch teams, while one club in particular has been very active. Here are some of the standout signings from the last seven days.
The week in EuroLeague signings
Real Madrid's double swoop
Real Madrid added its second and third signings to its roster in the past week after securing the arrival of Sergio Rodriguez from EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Mario Hezonja from UNICS Kazan. Rodriguez, who previously played for the club between 2010 and 2016, was part of the Real side that won the EuroLeague trophy in 2015. He then added a second EuroLeague title to his CV during his time at CSKA Moscow. Hezonja, meanwhile, has decided to overlook his FC Barcelona past and cross the divide – via the NBA, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and UNICS - by signing for Real. New head coach Chus Mateo already has a lot of extra options going into next season.
Monaco keeps adding pieces
After re-signing Mike James and bringing in Elie Okobo, Jordan Loyd and John Brown a couple of weeks ago, AS Monaco continued its flurry of activity last week. This time, three players from last year's roster – Donta Hall, Alpha Diallo, Yakuba Ouattara – committed their futures to the club, while Monaco also added two-time EuroLeague champion Adrien Moerman from Anadolu Efes Istanbul, All-EuroCup First Team forward Jaron Blossomgame from ratiopharm Ulm, 19-year-old point guard Matthew Strazel from LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, and another young prospect in the 21-year-old forward Yoan Makoundou from Cholet Basket. The expectation levels at Salle Gaston Medecin have certainly gone up a notch as Monaco's roster has filled up.
Some splashes in the market
Three high-profile players were on the move over the course of the last week. First, Ioannis Papapetrou left Panathinaikos to join head coach Zeljko Obradovic's project at Partizan NIS Belgrade after spending the last four seasons with the Greens. Then, Achille Polonara made the switch from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to reigning EuroLeague champions Efes on a one-plus-one-year deal. And lastly, on Thursday, Iffe Lundberg took the decision to return to Europe by agreeing to terms with Virtus Segafredo Bologna, where he will reunite with former CSKA Moscow teammate Daniel Hackett. Papapetrou, Polonara and Lundberg are all sure to make an immediate impact next season.
Betting on youth
There were lofty expectations for Filip Petrusev last summer after joining Efes from Mega Basket of Serbia as the ABA League MVP, but it didn't go to plan for the 22-year-old in Istanbul, despite being part of a championship-winning team. Petrusev struggled to get regular game time in the EuroLeague and will now try his luck with Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. Another young player whose progress will be fascinating to track is Ziga Samar, who has signed for ALBA Berlin on a long-term deal from Fuenlabrada of Spain. The 21-year-old is set to make his EuroLeague debut next season and many people will be looking to see how he gets on in Europe's premier club basketball competition.