Panathinaikos reportedly interested in Shabazz Napier / News - Basketnews.com

Shabazz Napier is close to joining Panathinaikos, according to the Greek media.

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Even thoughDejan Radonjic's postgame quotes rarely make headlines, after Panathinaikos Athens' tough win over Lavrio, the Montenegrin coach had some news to share- a forthcoming addition.

Shabazz Napier

Position:PGAge:31Height:185 cmWeight:82 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

"I hope that we'll have more players at our disposal, both at our practice next week and in view of the match against Zalgiris Kaunas," Radonjic said.

"We have also found a new player. I hope that we'll sign him during the next week," he added.

According to SDNA, Shabazz Napier is the player PAO's coach was referring to, with the two sides closing in on the deal.

Napier, 31, signed with Zenit St. Petersburg in the summer of 2021, but an injury knocked him out early and he didn't even make his EuroLeague debut.

The American-Puerto Rican point guard is currently playing in the G-League with the Mexico City Capitals, averaging 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds on 43% from the field, 34% 3-point shooting and 77% from the charity stripe.

Napier has won the NCAA twice with Connecticut and was selected with the 24th pick in the 2014 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. In the NBA, he played six seasons with the Heat, Magic, Blazers, Nets, Timberwolves and Wizards. Over 345 NBA games, he averaged 7.1 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 rebounds.

Some weeks ago, there were some talks about Zalgiris Kaunas signing the player.

"We had that opportunity but we got scared. He didn't practice the entire last season, he hasn't practiced this year as well. It looks good on paper but we chose to have something concrete instead of hope," coach Kazys Maksvytis commented.

If Panathinaikos conclude the deal, the question will revolve around their number of non-Greek players. Right now, the Greens have a total of eight non-domestic athletes, including Andrew Andrews who hasn't been active since last November. In the Greek league, clubs are allowed to register seven non-domestic players overall, while six of them are allowed to play in every game.

In case Napier joins PAO, Radonjic will have to decide on ruling a third player out, apart from Andrews and Marius Grigonis, who hasn't been registered for Greek league contests. On the other hand, Napier will be able to play in EuroLeague games right away.

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