Top EuroLeague coaches on expiring contracts / News - Basketnews.com

This is only the second time in the new EuroLeague format's history with a single head coaching change in the first half of the regular season. However, the presence of top head coaches with expiring contracts makes the upcoming coaching market highly intriguing.

Credit: ABA League j.t.d./D.Stjepanovic/REUTERS/IMAGO/kolbert-press/Scanpix Credit ABA League j.t.d./D.Stjepanovic/REUTERS/IMAGO/kolbert-press/Scanpix

Dejan Radonjic probably expected a very uncomfortable Friday night phone call.

Panathinaikos had just suffered their worst defeat against Olympiacos in OAKA by 24 points and had been booed by their fans starting in the fourth quarter.

In a situation where it seemed like firing the head coach would be the easiest decision, Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos showed patience and trust in Dejan Radonjic by giving him an "unlimited budget" for roster moves and full support in making PAO great again.

The EuroLeague front offices have been historically patient this season, with only one coaching replacement so far in the first half of the regular season.

Crvena Zvezda made an early move by replacing Vladimir Jovanovic with Dusko Ivanovic. It turned out to be the right decision, as Ivanovic tied for the best coaching takeover in the EuroLeague history.

The only time only one head coach was fired before January was in the 2020-21 season when Crvena Zvezda parted ways with Sasa Obradovic. That season's relative patience may also be due to the many postponed games in the first post-covid season.

In comparison, six coaches were fired before January in the 2018-19 season, five in 2019-20, and three in the 2021-22 season.

The current season's rare patience can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, this is one of the most competitive seasons in history. For the first time since the new format was introduced in 2016, the 9th-seeded team is only three wins away from the top seed.

Also, it is only the third time when the four wins separate the 8th and last-seeded teams after Round 16.

Since a few consecutive wins can change the momentum, most clubs are patient before making tough decisions.

It is also a difficult decision from a financial standpoint, as only three head coaches are on expiring contracts, and breaking those contracts would be costly for the clubs.

These three coaches are also top-caliber specialists: Ergin Ataman (Anadolu Efes), Sarunas Jasikevicius (Barcelona), and Andrea Trinchieri (Bayern).

Ataman, 56, currently is the longest-tenured EuroLeague coach. He took over Efes in 2017 and has won two EuroLeague titles, three Turkish league trophies, and two Turkish cups. It's hard to imagine him somewhere else than Efes.

Jasikevicius, 46, brought Barcelona back to the elite again.

For the first time since 2014, Barcelona made it to the Final Four again with two consecutive appearances in 2021 and 2022.

For the first time since 2014, Saras managed to guide Barcelona to the ACB league title (2021) and won Copa del Rey in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011.

Trinchieri, 54, wrote one of the best EuroLeague's Cinderella stories in recent years.

He has guided Bayern to consecutive playoff appearances, despite having one of the lowest budgets in the league.

Trinchieri has already been on the wealthiest EuroLeague clubs' target in previous years. He recently joined forces with Misko Raznatovic, which usually means something big might be on the corner.

The head coaching market could be interesting in the summer of 2023, with Pablo Laso and Ioannis Sfairopoulos also available. Keep in mind that Xavi Pascual may also enter the market at any time (his current contract runs until 2024).

Those names make it even more challenging to retain the head coach position in the EuroLeague. If one piece is moved, it could have a domino effect.

While 15 of 18 head coaches are under contract beyond the 2022-23 season, you can not take those multi-year agreements for granted in Europe.

The final months of the season may influence crucial developments in the head coaching department.

Top 10 EuroLeague players on expiring contracts Coach Team Contract Works since Ergin Ataman Anadolu Efes Until 2023 2017 Sarunas Jasikevicius Barcelona Until 2023 2020 Andrea Trinchieri Bayern Until 2023 2020 Zeljko Obradovic Partizan Until 2024 2021 Ettore Messina EA7 Emporio Armani Until 2024 2019 Sergio Scariolo Virtus Until 2024 2021 Chus Mateo Real Until 2024 2022 Oded Kattash Maccabi Until 2024 2022 Joan Penarroya Baskonia Until 2024 2022 Dejan Radonjic Panathinaikos Until 2024 2022 Dusko Ivanovic Crvena Zvezda Until 2024 2022 Giorgos Bartzokas Olympiacos Until 2025 2020 Dimitris Itoudis Fenerbahce Until 2025 2022 Sasa Obradovic Monaco Until 2025 2021 Israel Gonzalez ALBA Until 2025 2021 Alex Mumbru Valencia Until 2025 2022 Kazys Maksvytis Zalgiris Until 2025 2022 TJ Parker ASVEL Until 2026 2020 Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.