Panathinaikos is hoping that they can close the offseason with one more move after the signing of Lorenzo Brown earlier this summer. The Greens’ sports director, Sani Becirovic, revealed that the team is pushing for one more deal while keeping all of their personnel from the previous year.
“I think we at Panathinaikos did what was necessary after such a successful season—we kept practically the entire team! On top of that, we added Lorenzo Brown because we believe that alongside Kostas Sloukas, who was the driving force and creator, we need another player like that in case of a bad day or, God forbid, an injury,” Becirovic noted during an interview with Meridian Sport.
Becirovic was very successful in his first season as the club’s sports director, putting his fingerprints on a team that won both the EuroLeague and the Greek League. The former Slovenian international confirmed that Panathinaikos is interested in adding Omer Yurtseven.
“It’s true what’s being written. There’s nothing to hide; he is one of the players we’re interested in. Contact was made; we inquired just to get an idea of whether it’s realistic or not. But there’s still something that needs to fall into place for that transfer to happen.”
Yurtseven might obviously be waiting for a chance in the NBA before committing to return to the EuroLeague. Yurtseven played for Fenerbahce in the past before moving to the NBA to play for the Utah Jazz and Miami Heat.
Becirovic says Panathinaikos star center Mathias Lessort does not have an NBA-out clause.
Mathias Lessort has wowed the basketball world during the past season due to his performances with Panathinaikos. He continued on the same note during the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping the French national team reach the gold medal game.
Naturally, various reports from the United States suggested that the New York Knicks considered making an offer to bring Lessort in the NBA. However, the NBA team reportedly fell short in their inquiry about the experienced center.
Becirovic admitted that he’s not worried about the Frenchman’s future with the club and revealed that there is no NBA-out clause in his current deal.
“No, but only because he had a contract with us without a clause allowing him to go to the NBA. That’s why I was quite calm,” he said, regarding the fact that he’s not worried about Lessort leaving the club.
“There were even some rumors that there’s now a lot of interest in him. There was interest, but we never got to serious negotiations where it could have been resolved like it was, for example, with Yabusele.”
