He gave up his entire $9.1 billion salary… Bitter Euroleague MVP leaves NBA after just one season
Bezenkov’s NBA career didn’t last long.
The Toronto Raptors announced on Wednesday that they have released Sasha Bezenkov.
Bezenkov is a Bulgarian-born forward with a European background. He started his career in Greece with Aris Thessaloniki and played for FC Barcelona and Olympiacos.
In the 2022-2023 season, he became one of the best players in Europe. He averaged 17.6 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 53.6% from the field and was named Euroleague MVP. Olympiacos finished runner-up in the 파워볼사이트 추천 Euroleague that season.
With his best year yet, Bezenkov is set to enter the NBA in the summer of 2023. He signed a three-year, $20 million deal with Sacramento, who retained his draft rights via trade.
However, Bezenkov’s transition to the NBA was not smooth. His stretch-4 style didn’t translate well to the NBA, and he was plagued by injuries. Last season, he averaged just 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 42 games.
Despite his shooting ability, Bezenkov’s playing time was erratic. He averaged just 12.1 minutes per game. His limited minutes led to rumors about his future as soon as the season ended.
After a year, he was sent back to Europe. Sacramento sent Bezenkov to Toronto in a trade, and Toronto parted ways with him.
According to Sportrac, Bezenkov has already waived his $6.6 million salary for next season, which was due to Toronto. His destination is his hometown team Olympiacos. Bezenkov has reportedly already signed a five-year, $17 million contract with the team. We won’t be seeing him play in the NBA next season.