By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
At the end of the 2024-25 installment of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, teams are already considering numerous options, hoping to strengthen their respective squads for the 2025-26 Regular Season.
Well before the Final Four in Abu Dhabi, swirling reports have been covering the most appealing free agents. The market is stacked with intriguing cases, including several EuroLeague stalwarts on expiring contracts.
Eurohoops scanned the list of free agents to compile a list of high-level players who can perhaps switch teams in Europe’s premier club continental competition during the offseason, including the reports which are already been made. However, the season is not over, no official announcement has been made for anyone, so in theory, they remain free agents.
Only active EuroLeague players made this list. Players from other leagues, including the NBA, will return or join the competition during the summer, but these Top 10 free agents spent the previous season in the EuroLeague.
Top 10 Free Agents
10. Devin Booker (FC Bayern Munich)
2024-25 stats: 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 16.2 PIR
The reverse Top 10 countdown starts with 34-year-old Devin Booker, a veteran of 175 EuroLeague games, including 72 over two spells with Bayern.
Since coming out of Clemson, the younger brother of former NBA player Trevor Booker focused on Europe. Since 2018, he has been a regular in the top-tier club competition of the continent. In addition to the Munich club, he played for Fenerbahce Beko and Khimki Moscow Region.
At the end of a two-year contract with Bayern and on a roll from his best EuroLeague campaign yet, his future is unclear. Experienced bigs are a rare find in the market, making him an interesting case for potential suitors.
9. Tornike Shengelia (Virtus Segafredo Bologna)
2024-25 stats: 15.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 17.5 PIR
Tornike Shengelia ranked ninth on our list. The 34-year-old Georgian forward is a veteran of 283 appearances in the EuroLeague, including 84 with Virtus Bologna over the last three years.
Apart from 45 NBA games with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls between 2012 and 2014, he has been a EuroLeague star for over a decade. Possibly moving on after three years with “Vu Nere”, he will add to the tally with Barcelona being his expected next stop.
A former member of the All-EuroLeague First Team, also a two-time EuroCup champion, he has value for any team looking for a free-agent upgrade during the summer.
8. Elijah Bryant (Anadolu Efes)
2024-25 stats: 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 14.4 PIR
The next EuroLeague star set to become a free agent is Elijah Bryant, a former champion with Efes and veteran of 193 games, including 132 with the Istanbul-based club over the last four years.
The 30-year-old swingman previously played for Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2019 to 2021, before moving to the Milwaukee Bucks late in the 2020-21 season and participating in an NBA championship run alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has since established himself among the most consistent players in the EuroLeague.
It’s currently tough to picture Bryant sporting a jersey other than Efes, but becoming a free agent opens such possibilities, and there’s already a report sending him to Hapoel Tel Aviv.
7. Theo Maledon (LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne)
2024-25 stats: 17.0 points, 4.6 assists, 20.6 PIR
Returning to ASVEL, 23-year-old Theo Maledon enjoyed the best season of his career. Counting also his introduction back in the 2019-20 season, he is now a veteran of 55 EuroLeague games, all with his current club.
A youth product of the French club, the Rouen native was selected with the 34th overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He went on to play in 177 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets, and Phoenix Suns before booming in Europe.
A member of the All-EuroLeague Second Team, he is likely to move on from ASVEL. He is destined to join a championship contender with Real Madrid having him on their shortlist, and the deal is considered certain.
6. Carsen Edwards (FC Bayern Munich)
2024-25 stats: 20.4 points, 3.3 assists, 16.7 PIR
A second Bayern player on our list is puzzling Gordon Herbert, but very interesting for teams seeking a scoring punch in the 27-year-old Carsen Edwards. The explosive combo guard carries the experience of 103 EuroLeague games, including 69 with the German club over the last two years.
The former Purdue standout was named in the All-EuroLeague First Team. His biggest achievement yet, highlighting his third season since using overseas options to expand his career to Turkiye and Fenerbahce, and from there to Germany. He previously logged 75 NBA appearances with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, after being selected with the 33rd overall pick of the 2019 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Edwards is currently nursing a back injury, which prevented him from helping Bayern in the last game of the Play-In Showdown.
5. Dzanan Musa (Real Madrid)
2024-25 stats: 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 12.5 PIR
Is Dzanan Musa, a two-time champion and veteran of 128 games, moving on from Real Madrid? Aside from joking about preferring Rio Breogan for his next stop, he is likely to play elsewhere next season.
He introduced himself to the top tier of Europe with Cedevita in 2015. After being drafted with the 29th pick in 2018, an uneventful spell with the Brooklyn Nets produced 54 NBA games. In a quick turnaround, he joined a EuroLeague championship run with Anadolu Efes in 2021, was named 2021-22 season MVP of the ACB with Breogan, and focused on Los Blancos for the last three years.
At the end of a three-year contract with Madrid, the 26-year-old forward is dominating free-agent rumors. Expect more of the same until a deal becomes official.
4. Nigel Williams-Goss (Olympiacos)
2024-25 stats: 8.6 points, 3.4 assists, 8.6 PIR
A former champion with Real Madrid, Nigel Williams-Goss reached the Final Four in each of the last four years. His appearances tally is up to 152, including 95 over two stints with Olympiacos.
Coming out of Gonzaga in 2017, he was selected with the 55th overall pick of the NBA draft by the Utah Jazz and played 11 games in the league based in North America, before returning to the Old Continent. After a brief spell with Lokomotiv Kuban, he joined Madrid in 2021 and reunited with the Reds in 2023, following the first part of their connection through the 2018-19 journey.
At the end of a two-year contract with the storied Greek club, his future is unclear, with Zalgiris Kaunas being more than interested. A seasoned floor general is always useful for contenders, especially when attached to such successful continental campaigns.
3. Tyson Ward (Paris)
2024-25 stats: 11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 11.3 PIR
A brilliant EuroLeague introduction for Tyson Ward. A key part of the surprise package of Paris, the 27-year-old American swingman averaged 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest over 38 appearances, all starts, in the 2024-25 campaign.
The North Dakota State product built up his way to the French capital by winning the Basketball Champions League in 2023. Similar to the majority of Telekom Baskets Bonn, he then signed with Paris and won the BKT EuroCup championship in 2024 to secure an upgrade to the EuroLeague.
With the championship-winning group already in the process of breaking up, since additional career options naturally emerge, Ward is moving his talents to Olympiacos. A versatile winger, an effective player on both ends of the court, is an excellent addition to the championship contenders.
2. Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos)
2024-25 stats: 8.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 14.4 PIR
A veteran of 256 EuroLeague games, including 191 over two spells with Olympiacos, 30-year-old Nikola Milutinov is among the most interesting available free agents.
Since 2012, the Serbian center has been an EuroLeague regular, except for the 2014-55 journey in the 7DAYS EuroCup with Partizan NIS. EuroLeague accolades are several weekly and monthly Most Valuable Player nods, attached to solid and constant efforts in the paint, on both ends of the court, but shy of a championship.
At the end of a two-year contract, Milutinov might be running it back with the Reds but will consider his options during the summer. Teams looking to make an inside impact can not look much further. In any case, he is primed for a more important role.
1. T.J. Shorts II (Paris)
2024-25 stats: 19.0 points, 7.3 assists, 22.8 PIR
First place in our Top 10 was reserved for T.J. Shorts II. Very few expected the explosive point guard to carry winning momentum into the EuroLeague, but here we are, after 19.0 points, 7.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game over 37 appearances, all starts, in his first shot in Europe’s premier club continental competition.
Coming out of UC Davis in 2019, he started his professional career in Latvia and moved to Germany in 2020. From brilliant showings in the FIBA Europe Cup and leading Telekom Baskets Bonn to the Basketball Champions League title in 2023, Shorts signed with Paris in 2023 and kept on winning, including the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup championship as season and Finals MVP. And add an All-EuroLeague First Team nod to the list.
Refusing to slow down, the 27-year-old point guard is keen on putting more into an unprecedented upward trend. Beyond Panathinaikos looking to secure his services, summer options as a free agent will also include an NBA opportunity.