Former Golden State Warriors guard Nico Mannion is signing with Virtus Bologna of Italy’s Serie A, his agents told Jordan Schultz of ESPN.
“We are excited for Nico to play in his mother’s home country of Italy. Nico is going to have a tremendous opportunity to get significant playing time to continue to develop his game. His full intention is to return to the NBA but first wants to help Virtus Bologna win a EuroCup and Italian League Championship,” Mannion’s agent Bill Duffy said in a statement.
Mannion will have the opportunity to return to the NBA in a year or two, according to Duffy.
In his rookie season, the 20-year-old played 30 games on a two-way contract for the Warriors last season, averaging 4.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 12.1 minutes per game.
Mannion also played nine games with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
He recently represented Italy at the Olympics, averaging 12.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in four games, helping the team to a fifth place finish.
The Warriors will retain Mannion’s restricted free agency rights when he does return to the NBA, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
The Warriors just signed point guard Chris Chiozza to a two-way contract and he will fill the spot left by Mannion.
