Unexpected project Mudiay: how the most exciting EuroLeague rookie ended up in Zalgiris / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Fotodiena.lt, BNS, Zalgiris.lt, AFP, AP - Scanpix | BasketNews iliustracija/A.Zaikauskas Credit Fotodiena.lt, BNS, Zalgiris.lt, AFP, AP - Scanpix | BasketNews iliustracija/A.Zaikauskas

They were uncertain about him coming to the team until the last moment when the player finally landed at Vilnius airport. Emmanuel Mudiay's journey to Zalgiris Kaunas was unexpected not only for many basketball fans but also for some people who were working on getting this deal done. BasketNews tells a story of how the most exciting EuroLeague rookie ended up signing with Lithuanian champions.

Emmanuel Mudiay

Team:Zalgiris KaunasPosition:PGAge:25Height:196 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:Kinshasa, Congo (Republic of the)ProfileNewsStatistics

One of the Wasserman agents, the VP of International Basketball Tadas Bulotas, occasionally would ask his colleagues if Emmanuel Mudiay was ready to listen to European offers. Last year, Mudiay insisted on getting a guaranteed NBA contract so much that he turned down G League or European possibilities and ended up without playing a single game in the 2020-21 season. But in summer 2021, the situation has changed.

In June, Tadas Bulotas put Mudiay's name on Zalgiris GM's Paulius Motiejunas table. Zalgiris was Tadas' hometown team. The Lithuanian champs quickly got hooked up on Mudiay's project, and the negotiations started.

"We knew that we'd need to bring somebody from the other side of the ocean," Zalgiris GM Motiejunas told BasketNews. "Somebody who hasn't played in Europe yet, because we couldn't find the main playmaker we wanted on the European market.

We discussed it with coach Schiller, and we informed all the agencies about our intentions. And when the Mudiay's name popped out, we were attracted by it the most."

What's more important than salary

Mudiay was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He shook NBA commissioner David Stern's hand straight after Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Kristaps Porzingis, Jahlil Okafor, Mario Hezonja, and Willie Cauley-Stein. Zalgiris had only one player, who was drafted higher than Mudiay. Former NBA champion Kenny Anderson was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in 1991 and he came to Zalgiris in 2006.

In 5 years and 300 NBA regular-season games with the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz, Mudiay averaged 11 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Such a resume quickly extended the list of the most famous names on the Zalgiris roster from the last decade, including Ty Lawson, Sonny Weems, James Anderson, or Beno Udrih.

Zalgiris' pitch for such a high-profile player like Mudiay was clear. It is one of the best organized EuroLeague teams in Europe. Zalgiris GM Motiejunas was the first to win the EuroLeague's Executive of the Year award for two consecutive seasons.

The Lithuanian team has a first-class arena and training facilities. Before COVID-19, almost 15.000 fans were attending each Zalgiris home game in the EuroLeague.

"We changed a lot as an organization. Previously we had such players like Marcus Brown, who helped us to grow as an organization. During the NBA lockout, Sonny Weems came to Zalgiris and stayed there until the end of the season. We have great facilities, better living conditions, great coaching staff, which works with the players like in the US. And we're more experienced," Motiejunas explains. "What we can offer is the best training conditions, player development, and all the support from the organization. We're glad this combination works. And I believe Zalgiris' name is even more attractive than before. Mostly because of the good experiences of our former players. Also, because it's a good platform to reach for a bigger contract in the future."

Credit BasketNews.lt/D.Lukšta

Per BasketNews sources, Zalgiris offered Mudiay a one-year $400-450k contract. That's peanuts for some EuroLeague powerhouses. But money was not what Mudiay came for.

The critical aspect of the negotiations was Zalgiris' approach towards Mudiay as the team's new leader. He hasn't played in Europe before, and sometimes the EuroLeague transition might be challenging for the Americans despite their solid NBA resumes. Mudiay's camp wanted to make sure that Zalgiris won't rush him and they won't put all the pressure on his shoulders. Especially after a year off in the NBA.

Zalgiris head coach Schiller could be an ideal coach for Mudiay. A 39-year-old Austrian was in these shoes last year, making his EuroLeague debut after a three-year G League head coaching experience and the G League Coach of the Year title. He went on a six-game losing streak, but Motiejunas was patient and supportive. Zalgiris ended up fighting for the playoffs until the last rounds of the regular season.

Also, Mudiay knew Martin Schiller from his stint with Utah Jazz in 2019-20. Austrian was the head coach of Jazz G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars.

"From the beginning, when we started conversations with Mudiay's agency, they emphasized that they didn't want to throw a young player under the bus. They told that if we thought that Mudiay would come and become a leader of Zalgiris from day one and we would put all the pressure on him, it wasn't gonna happen," Motiejunas explained. "We told them: 'Listen, we fully understand the situation. We know he didn't play in Europe before, so that will take some time for him to adjust.' Coach Schiller was also an essential part of the negotiations. He was in the NBA environment, he saw Emmanuel by himself, and he knows everything about him.

We assured them that, yes, we want him to be our leader, but we won't put everything on his shoulders. First, we will help him adapt. We explained to them his role and our expectations. We also have that transition from the US to the European basketball experience. We know the challenges that players are facing here. We know how much time it might take. But we were ready to help."

Credit BasketNews.lt/D.Lukšta

Mudiay took everything into account and made clear that if he wasn't coming back to the NBA, Zalgiris was the only option in Europe he would consider.

Unusual refusal & the deadline drama

Zalgiris and Mudiay reached an agreement at the end of July. Both sides agreed on putting an NBA-out clause in his contract. The deadline was set for August 26, per BasketNews sources.

At the beginning of August, Motiejunas and Schiller attended the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Mudiay was playing there for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was still aiming for the guaranteed NBA deal.

Zalgiris representatives wanted to meet with Mudiay to talk about the likely cooperation in Kaunas. But they were stunned by the player's answer. Mudiay wished to be entirely focused on his NBA opportunity and didn't want any distractions. So he refused to meet the Zalgiris people.

BasketNews sources say that this made Zalgiris people feel as if Mudiay didn't want to come. They thought that the deal might be at risk.

But Mudiay's camp explained it very simply. Mudiay's goal was the NBA. He already had a deal with Zalgiris in place. He knew that if he wasn't getting the NBA offer, he was going to Kaunas. But before that, he wanted to make the most out of his last chance at reaching the ultimate goal.

According to BasketNews sources, there were a couple of NBA teams who were monitoring Mudiay very closely. But they made other moves, which impacted the roster flexibility, leaving Mudiay out of the consideration. After all, Zalgiris wasn't sure if Mudiay was coming to Kaunas.

They set a deadline for him when he had to arrive in Kaunas. Interestingly, Mudiay's camp contacted Zalgiris on the last day of the deadline and asked for one more day. But on August 24, Mudiay was already checking out his new gym at Kaunas basketball island.

No superstar treatment

Zalgiris team manager Mindaugas Kvedaras works for the club for more than a decade. He saw a lot of different personalities in Zalgiris locker room through these years. Some of these high-profile players adapted to the team and became like family friends. Others didn't show any interest in green-and-white culture and traditions.

But that's not the case with the new Zalgiris floor general.

"Some people thought that he'd require superstar treatment. But Emmanuel is truly professional. He didn't have any special requirements for a flat, car, or anything else. He likes everything we provided for him," Kvedaras told BasketNews. "Mudiay is a straightforward guy. He's also very focused. And you can see he has good knowledge of Europe. He's also curious to get to know his new environment better. So far, we had only a positive experience with him."

"The most important thing is whether the player wants to play for us," Motiejunas told BasketNews. "We put the best conditions and ask if the player really wants to come and develop here. If he's ready to put all his effort into making the next step for the bigger contract or the opportunity to come back to the NBA. The main agenda now is the team. Now you're in Europe, you try to embrace the experience and develop here."

Mudiay's ultimate goal is the NBA comeback. But his camp assures that he will not miss any steps with Zalgiris through his campaign in Europe.

Emmanuel takes any basketball game seriously, whether it's the NBA, Summer League, or EuroLeague game. So in some time, expect to see the best of Emmanuel Mudiay, the most exciting EuroLeague rookie.

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