Wolves director details Arturs Zagars road to Fenerbahce: 'Absolute chaos' / News - Basketnews.com

The player's salary significantly increased following his World Cup campaign. Zagars' agent wasn't even sure he would continue representing the player.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

A free agent at the time, Latvian guard Arturs Zagars played a wonderful campaign at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. A week after the competition was over, he got signed by a EuroLeague team.

Arturs Zagars

Position:PGAge:23Height:190 cmWeight:78 kgBirth place:Jurmala , LatviaProfileNewsStatistics

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul agreed on a three-year deal with the youngster and loaned him to BC Wolves, a Lithuanian team that will debut in the EuroCup this year.

Zagars played his first game in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) this Saturday, scoring 2 points and dishing out 7 assists in a blowout win.

The Lithuanian club's director of basketball operations, Algimantas Bruzas, revealed before the game that the entire process of acquiring the Latvian talent was as chaotic as possible.

"We were in constant contact with Arturs' agent throughout the summer. We had him very high on our list. He ultimately decided to risk it and go to the tournament knowing that he would have a big role, and was seeking to attract the attention of EuroLeague and NBA teams," the operative started off.

"The risk paid off. We saw what happened during and after the competition - it was absolute chaos. Suddenly, he had a ton of attention, and suddenly, he didn't know what he was going to do with his career. Even his agent wasn't sure he would continue representing him, as there were a lot of agents and offers coming in," Bruzas revealed. "Even China joined in. Absolute chaos."

With Wolves not being a large player in the market, the club was not sure Zagars would come. However, the relationship between Rimantas Kaukenas, a former high-level EuroLeague player who now serves as the team's president, helped land the Latvian prospect.

"We were in complete unknown, but everything worked out in the end. The connections Kaukenas has in Istanbul's team helped us. We are very thankful to [Fenerbahce GM] Maurizio Gherardini," Bruzas said. "The entire plan was laid out early on, he trusted us as an organization and believed it would be a suitable place for Arturs to prepare for the EuroLeague. The deal was made, and he was loaned to us for this season."

In the end, Zagars came out as a winner as his salary increased significantly.

"He didn't want to sign before the tournament. Of course, if you gave him a lot of money, he would have probably agreed. Comparing pre-World Cup and now, the money [Zagars will get] changed threefold, I'd say," the operative revealed. "We didn't lose anything because a big part of the salary will be paid by Fenerbahce."

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