Keeping Youth Talent in Europe Should Be a Priority for the NBA Europe Project

In the summer of 2024, many top European talents left their respective clubs for opportunities elsewhere. Collegiate teams via Name, Image, and Likeness deals were able to recruit top young prospects such as Egor Demin, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Zvonimir Ivisic. Australia brought Karim Lopez, a top international prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft, in from Spanish club Joventut Badalona. Meanwhile, many of the top European prospects who stayed in Europe have mostly seen their draft stock drop throughout the season.

Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, and Hugo Gonzalez are all top European prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft but they have fallen notably in most mock drafts over the last ten months. Traore was initially seen as a potential top-five selection and now looks like he could be out of the lottery. Saraf was seen as a possible lottery selection who is now battling to stay in the backend of the first round. Gonzalez was seen as late-lottery potential and is now fighting his way back to that initial standing.

It hasn’t all been bad for prospects who stayed in Europe. Noa Essengue, Saraf’s teammate, has moved into lottery discussions. So has his fellow countryman, center Joan Beringer. Bogoljub Markovic has moved up draft boards significantly with improved play for the known development club KK Mega Basket. But it has been more bad than good, and has a number of young European prospects eyeing opportunities elsewhere as they consider what’s best for them in preparation for future NBA Drafts.

This development is not ideal for anyone. Europe’s ability to develop some of the greatest players in the NBA - Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and others - on home soil has helped the game grow exponentially on the old continent. It benefits the entire sport for there to be multiple avenues available for players to reliably develop, and European club basketball should continue to be one of them.

NBA’s new European adventure in partnership with FIBA, and a direct competitor to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, should aim to help restore Europe’s development pipeline should the project officially commence. Of course, the league will initially have to establish franchises, consistent fanbases, construct facilities, secure broadcasting deals, and more as top priorities but it would behoove them to find a way to incentivize clubs to acquire, keep, and develop young European talent in NBA Europe.

As we said earlier, it is good for the sport for development pipelines to be diversified. Additionally, while NIL deals rendered the G League Ignite squad useless NBA Europe presents an opportunity for the NBA to become an organization that develops youth talent. It would also help slow down the amount of youth players leaving Europe for NIL deals. With this league, the NBA could restore Europe’s status as a reliable home for top talent to grow, develop, and prosper, make a dent in the acceleration of NIL, and provide the NBA with another opportunity to develop talent under its own banner. Initial priorities will supersede this, but the NBA must consider this opportunity to help the league and its own branding in Europe grow positively.

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