Mantas Rubstavicius has signed a new 2+1 contract with Zalgiris Kaunas, but the 24-year-old guard will begin the deal on loan at Tofas Bursa.
Zalgiris announced the agreement on Monday, November 9, confirming that Rubstavicius has already joined the Turkish club. The 198-centimeter guard will play in both the Turkish Basketball Super League and the EuroCup during the first season of his new contract.
Tofas have made a strong start in the EuroCup, winning five of their first six games to sit second in Group C. Their domestic campaign has been less convincing, with Bursa ninth in the Turkish league at 3-4 after seven rounds.
Rubstavicius had agreed to join the Auburn Tigers program in the NCAA during the summer. However, the agreement with the university did not come into effect because of unforeseen circumstances, Zalgiris said.
The move to Tofas gives the Lithuanian guard a season in a different competitive environment while remaining under contract with Zalgiris. His new 2+1 agreement also gives the Kaunas club a longer-term contractual commitment to the player.
Rubstavicius first joined the Zalgiris system in 2019, when he became part of the club’s reserve team. He played for Zalgiris-2 until 2022 before moving to Lietkabelis, where he averaged 7.0 points in 29 Lithuanian league appearances in 2022-23.
He later spent the 2023-24 season with the New Zealand Breakers, averaging 9.5 points in 23 games. A return to Lietkabelis followed in 2024-25, when he posted 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 35 domestic games.
Rubstavicius joined Zalgiris’ senior rotation in the summer of 2025 and helped the team win the Lithuanian Basketball League title. He averaged 8.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28 league appearances during the 2025-26 season.
The guard also appeared in seven Lithuanian top-flight games for Zalgiris earlier in his career, averaging 2.6 points in 2020-21. His latest move comes as Zalgiris sit 10th in the EuroLeague standings with a 6-4 record after 10 games in 2026-27.
