Even though the summer is nearly over, it is still not clear where Sarunas Jasikevicius will be playing next season. The 34-year-old veteran point guard is not in the plans of Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic who decided not to keep the player in the team.
Saras himself clearly shown his desire to stay in Athens despite not getting the 2-year contract that he wanted. However, former European Player of the Year will have to look for another place to continue and, likely, finish his career at.
Enjoy some of the best moments of Saras playing for Panathinaikos
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Maccabi have shown interest in bringing ‘the golden boy’ back who played in Tel Aviv through 2003-2005 helping the Yellows take two Euroleague titles in a row. There were reports in early July that Israeli giants offered a two-year contract worth €1.2 million to Jasikevicius. Though these rumours were denied later.
The door might open again to Jasikevicius since the new signing of Maccabi, Mikhail Torrance, is fighting for his life after collapsing in training. Torrance might never be able to play basketball again, therefore, his contract with Maccabi would be terminated. Lithuanian star might be a potential replacement unless the club decides to spend less money and bring a younger guard instead. Jeremy Pargo, who won Israeli league with Hapoel Galil Gilboa last season, is thought to be among the most wanted players by Maccabi.
More recently rumours appeared regarding the possible interest of Zalgiris in Saras’s services. Despite being Kaunas native, Jasikevicius has never played for Zalgiris but has expressed his desire to retire at home. The Greens were looking to add a starting point guard this summer but didn’t make any moves yet. Although the contract demands of Jasikevicius are high for a club like Zalgiris, the club might be tempted to bring such an experienced big name to the roster.
