Olympiacos Piraeus made a surprising acquisition at this point in the preseason by signing shooting guard Ignas Brazdeikis away from Zalgiris Kaunas. Brazdeikis (2.01 meters, 24 years old) had one year remaining on his contract with Zalgiris, which will receive a buy-out from Zalgiris. The new deal is for three seasons. Brazdeikis enjoyed a great debut season in the EuroLeague with 11.6 points and 2.9 rebounds to help Zalgiris reach the playoffs last season. He had 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in his visit to Peace and Friendship Stadium to face Olympiacos last season.
Olympiacos acquires Brazdeikis from Zalgiris
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“At this stage of the season, you don’t want to make a big change, but after receiving an offer from the EuroLeague runners-up, Brazdeikis expressed his desire to leave the team. We were also approached by Olympiacos Piraeus, so we had to look for a common solution and the best conditions in this situation. We expressed our position in the negotiations, and with the other side agreeing to it, we had to take this difficult decision. In any case, we thank Ignas for the year he spent here,” Zalgiris Kaunas Director said Paulius Jankunas on the team's website.
Though he was born in Lithuania, Brazdeikis grew up in Canada and spent his entire basketball career in the United States before last season. He played one year at Michigan University before being drafted by the New York Knicks of the NBA in 2019. Brazdeikis played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic in the NBA and for Westchester and Lakeland in the G League. He also plays for the Lithuanian national team.