Misko Raznatovic expects big moves from PAO, foresees strong Partizan and Zvezda / News - Basketnews.com

Misko Raznatovic enjoys the best year in the Serbian club basketball scene and stays optimistic about the future, foreseeing Partizan and Red Star to remain strong competitors in the following year.

Credit: Begum Unal, images/Eibner-Scanpix, AP - Scanpix | BasketNews Illiustration Credit Begum Unal, images/Eibner-Scanpix, AP - Scanpix | BasketNews Illiustration

If you consider yourself a die-hard basketball fan, you've got to check out the route of the most well-known basketball agent in Europe.

Points this season

46%77,2Points made:77,2Accuracy:46,0%Place in standings:14Record max:94Record min:56Best scorer:Nemanja NedovicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Misko Raznatovic recently kicked off his playoff campaign by attending Monaco vs. Maccabi game on Tuesday.

The very next morning, he jetted off to Barcelona to watch the hosts take on Zalgiris. And for Thursday, he already had a ticket to the Real Madrid vs. Partizan game.

Not only is Raznatovic widely considered the top agent in Europe, but he's also perhaps the biggest basketball journeyman on the continent.

He's traveling, driven by his passion for the game. But he also aims to visit every EuroLeague team, acknowledging that the playoffs can be a game-changer for players' careers.

During his recent stop in Monaco before Game 1, BasketNews managed to catch him and discuss a range of basketball topics.

We touched on everything from the future of some of his clients to Panathinaikos' aggressive plans for the upcoming summer free agency, the projected financial strength of Partizan and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, Victor Wembanyama's path to the NBA, Nikola Jokic's NBA title chances, and even a personal message to Marius Grigonis.

How do the playoffs impact your business as an agent? As the most decisive moment of the season for teams, players, and coaches, does this stage of the season mark a time when all the dominoes start falling, depending on the outcome of the playoff series?This is the most important part. As many times I said to the people, the last impression counts.

There were a hundred examples when someone played really badly all season, and then they appeared in the top 8, Final Four, got big-time money, extensions, or more offers. So practically, this is a new start that could completely change the picture in a good or bad way.

Donatas Motiejūnas

MIN:17.8PTS:8.46 (56.85%)REB:3.68As:0.83ST:0.32BL:0.1TO:0.88GM:41ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

It's also a period when teams start to move, mainly with extensions and some signings, so I prefer to meet as many teams as possible during the playoffs.

You brought up a great point about the recency bias. Since we're situated right across the street from Monaco gym, where some of your players, such as Donatas Motiejunas, Josh Nebo, and Darrun Hilliard, have a chance to showcase their skills and establish their value heading into the summer, do you perceive the playoffs as a chance for these guys to make a name for themselves?Yes, I agree. European basketball is emotional. The majority of the decision-makers are emotional.

What will happen in the next few weeks, plus the Final Four, is very often based on emotions. Giving the contracts and extensions after winning, or vice-versa after losing. It happened many times.

I am really trying to explain to the players that if you don't have a guaranteed contract for the next season at this part of the season, many things are unknown.

As an agent, how do you manage to set your emotions aside while dealing with decision-makers who tend to make emotional choices?They've been emotional for decades.

I don't want to mention names. But for example, the last year, the season was not so good, so one team was about to cut the budget to get rid of this and that guy.

And all of a sudden, everything has changed. Playoffs, this and that, and eventually, the budget was not cut but increased.

I think I know which team you're referring to.But this is very common in basketball. Very very common.

Is it a blessing and disguise of European basketball management?I agree. But we need to understand that nobody in Europe really makes money from basketball.

It's not the NBA. So people put the money because they really love this. They like the club. They want to experience these emotions. So very often, those decisions are based on that.

NBA is different. It's business. Sometimes you lose, but the money is so big that you're okay. There is no money for the owners, so the other side is very important.

What does the future hold for Josh Nebo and Darrun Hilliard in Tel Aviv?Josh Nebo is under contract for the following year. They're very happy, and he's very happy, so there's nothing to say.

Hilliard has an option for both sides. Both of us had more expectations from this season. It's not my style to analyze why and how it happened, but he would like to have a bigger role. So most likely, he will not be here next year.

But as I said, he won the last game for them [In the Israeli league, since the interview was conducted before Game 1 against Monaco]. If he gets a few good games, and if they go to the Final Four, one good game might change everything. Not only for him but for many others.

Interestingly, Donatas Motiejunas recently made it public that he wants to join Zalgiris next year, and he even mentioned that the possibility of this happening is higher than ever before.

As his agent, how do you feel about this, especially considering the fact that you have been considering bigger market teams for him beyond just Kaunas? It's not only about bigger or smaller markets. Players at his age have some kind of emotions.

I've just discussed it with him yesterday, that there's no doubt that Zalgiris is doing a fantastic job. With the budget and the team, they managed to overtake clubs like Milan, Efes, Baskonia, Red Star, Valencia... That's a really great job. I'm not criticizing them. But the way how they deal [with local players] is different than Serbian teams, especially Red Star.

Because they're really trying to bring great Serbian players back. Red Star brought back Filip Petrusev, Nemanja Nedovic, and Partizan took Danilo Andjusic, Tristan Vukcevic. Both teams are trying to sign great local players. I'm already a lot in that.

I explained to D-Mo that I'm surprised Zalgiris is not trying to do the same. Not for him only, but also for other guys from EuroLeague. He told me he believed that maybe in the future, Zalgiris would go that way as well.

It's absolutely clear that Zalgiris can't pay the money that he can get in other places. But when you do the circle, from NBA to China, to EuroLeague, sometimes people want to come to places where everything has started.

I think he has at least three good years. He has some age, but the way how he treats his body and professionalism is one of the biggest in Europe. It helps him to look great physically.

Motiejunas has his own personal physio coach who assists him throughout the entire season. Who would be your top three clients who prioritize taking care of their bodies the most?Yes, the guy [Virginijus Mikalauskas] is here all year. This is really rare.

Vasilije Micic also puts a lot of attention on this. Nemanja Nedovic as well. Maybe somebody [else], more or less, but these are the first names that came to my mind.

Thirty minutes after the start of the game in Monaco, Partizan will begin their journey back to the EuroLeague playoffs in Madrid.

As an outsider looking in, it seems like this is the best time for the Serbian club basketball scene since the legendary years when Partizan emerged victorious in the EuroLeague.(interrupts) It's better now than at that time. Because back in the day, there were like 10 teams in the EuroLeague. If that Partizan team had played in today's EuroLeague, they would be the last without disrespecting those great talents like Sasha Djordjevic or Predrag Danilovic.

There were like 14-16 games, as I remember. Now it's like 40, and everything is really different. Back in the day, you need to beat one or two Spanish teams and one Italian, and now it's like a bunch of Spanish clubs and way different competition.

But obviously, this is the best year in the history of Serbian club basketball because both teams have excellent budgets. Both teams have signed excellent players and coaches. The excitement in the city is at the highest level ever.

What is going on around Partizan is absolutely crazy. Tickets are very expensive. Nobody asks for the price, they're just buying it. I believe that, as the club president said, if they played in a football stadium, it would be full.

I'm even in a very difficult position because people cannot understand that I cannot find the tickets. Around 50 people are calling me, and I say it's impossible. They believe I don't want to help them. But there were no tickets three weeks before the game.

I've never expected players like Campazzo, LeDay, Punter, or Nunnally to play in Serbia. But thank God they're there, and basketball is topic number one in Serbia. Not politics, but basketball.

I could imagine what will happen in two weeks when Red Star and Partizan will play in the Adriatic League final. It's going to be really something else.

How long do you think they'll be able to maintain such a high level of investment? It seems like both teams have really gone all in to secure a permanent spot in the EuroLeague. Do you think they'll be able to maintain their financial strength in the coming year?I cannot give you an exact answer. But the information that I have is that they will be. In the worst-case scenario, they should stay very similar.

Who are they going to sign? Will they be lucky to have Campazzo or Vildoza? We don't know. But it's not only for one year.

They will not go back to the previous budgets. That's obvious. They will be serious next year as well. Both.

What are your thoughts on Ergin Ataman's situation, given that the Panathinaikos owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, has already welcomed him to the team for the upcoming season, despite Ataman still having significant goals to achieve with Anadolu Efes in the Turkish league?So many players are signing in January or February with new teams... First of all, Ergin didn't do anything without the club's permission. That's the first thing. He's not that type of person.

Secondly, this is his club. His relationships are special with Efes.

Nothing is really signed. This is an agreement in principle, and that's it.

Okay, you post something on Instagram... But it doesn't really mean a lot. I don't believe this deserves to be a big story.

Do you think it would be beneficial to have some regulations in place similar to those in the NBA, which impose deadlines for such negotiations?Do you know how it works in football? In January, you have a right to do it. I believe football is smarter than basketball in many cases. I don't see any problem with somebody who has contact until the 30th of June signing something that will start on the 15th of August.

In the NBA, there are a lot of restrictions. But in football, you can't speak until the end of January, and then you have the right to speak.

In NBA, it's different. You have this NBA draft, and nobody would really talk before it because the draft can decide so many things. And here, if let's say you agree that players can't speak [with clubs] before the 1st of July, it's too late.

Because they need to start practicing around the 10th of August. So you practically have five weeks to do all the European market. It's not only about the agents but also about clubs.

It is very often the club signs six to eight players every summer. So if you cannot talk before the 1st of July, you have like 5-6 weeks to sign. It's a nightmare. Also, having the NBA Summer League during this period of the offseason...

I don't believe that it's a big issue.

Maybe they can come up with some rules, like forbidding to talk with players or coaches until the end of the regular season, like the 20th of April. Maybe.

But generally, to treat that the contract is over when the season is over on the 30th of June makes no sense. In any agreement, like extending the lease, you start talking way before the end of the contract.

I had a question regarding which team will make the biggest splash in the upcoming summer market, but I believe it's already been decided with Panathinaikos, correct?Look, if you bring Ataman, obviously, you have ambitions. The team that you have is weak, so you need to change a lot. Obviously, they will be very aggressive in the market. While others might need to change 2-3 players, Panathinaikos need to change a lot.

First, they have no Greek base. Secondly, the foreigners aren't enough for the level where we would like to be. Foreigners aren't enough for the team that has Ataman.

They will be for sure very important in the market this year.

The departure of Ataman marks the end of an important chapter in the history of the EuroLeague, as Anadolu Efes has been dominating the competition with two consecutive titles. However, have you taken a moment to analyze why their attempt at winning a third consecutive championship fell short?I know exactly what didn't work, but I'm not the guy to talk about it.

And when we talk about Efes, we're not talking only about two years. It's four years. Four years ago, they lost the final. Then it was a COVID season when they dominated, and later they won two.

I don't remember in EuroLeague that somebody, four years in a row, practically was in the Top 2. This is the team that made something outstanding.

Okay, it didn't work this year, and it is how it is. A lot of bad luck, many injuries in the crucial moments, and some other stuff.

It seems it's quite challenging for up-and-coming coaches to break into the coveted circle of EuroLeague coaches.Last year a new star was born - Dusan Alimpijevic. He had an impressive season with a small-budget team, including beating Partizan in front of 20,000 people in Belgrade. He came to the finals. You can't imagine how many teams called me, asked, negotiated, and exchanged information.

But when the money time came, when it was time to make an offer decision, everybody got scared and signed guys who were already in the EuroLeague for many years.

Speaking of promising coaches, we also have Nenad Canak over at Lietkabelis Panevezys. What more do these coaches need to do to earn a shot at the highest level?

And is it possible that Kazys Maksvytis and Joan Penarroya could persuade decision-makers in the EuroLeague to take a chance on up-and-coming coaches?We had a few interviews for Canak. After those interviews, I spoke with the people to ask their reactions. The reactions were great because he's a great guy. But in the end, they didn't want to take the risk.

Speaking of Maksvytis and Penarroya, both guys signed contracts in their countries. Alimpijevic also signed for Red Star many years ago.

But I'm talking about the Spanish team seeing an excellent Serbian, Lithuanian, Italian, and French coach and bringing him over. I don't see it at this moment.

Credit IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Hafner-Scanpix

The Rising Star vote got me thinking about the prospects in the EuroLeague. Since we're in France, Victor Wembanyama and his journey to the NBA came to mind.

He turned down a chance to play in the EuroLeague and instead joined the Metropolitans team, which only competes domestically. It reminded me of Nikola Jokic's path to the NBA too.(interrupts) That's the only path. If you're 18 or 19, one of a hundred will get the minutes in the EuroLeague. Because EuroLeague is really tough for the kids. Plus, there's huge pressure.

If you want to get drafted, you need to have exposure. In EuroLeague teams, it's difficult to get any exposure. People are dying to win, and it's really tough. So it would be best if you went to some other places.

Wembanyama did it and said he had a small regret that he didn't play in the EuroLeague. But it's the right decision, and I agree with him.

All those kids from Mega, fifteen guys that were drafted, including Nikola Jokic, took the same path as him. So they play one game per week in a local competition. And they play 30 minutes per game.

You need to understand that the NBA people are always very tentative to make decisions. They want to be really sure, especially for high-level draft picks. To be sure, they want to watch somebody a lot. If you're an old player in the EuroLeague, with 13-14 minutes, what is also hard to get, they don't see enough to be 100% sure.

Wembanyama is not the best example because he'll end up being drafted first anyway. When you come to Mega, you play for 30 minutes. So they watch you a lot, know you better, and feel more comfortable with a final decision. Much more comfortable watching twice more times than somebody else.

I'm almost 100% sure that EuroLeague teams aren't going to develop anybody in the future. It's hard. Practically, the time in Partizan doing this for a few players is over. It was different.

Now I believe that guys who want to play in the NBA need to play in smaller teams. Honestly, players in Serbia have no doubts about it. It's either Mega or FMP, maybe OKK Beograd. But that's the way to get the attention of NBA teams. In Red Star and Partizan, it's difficult.

Should the EuroLeague address this issue, or is it simply a reality that comes with the specifics of their competition? Is there a way to potentially retain their top prospects?They cannot. Everybody wants to win. Tensions are high. Okay, you can try a little bit with some kids. But if you lose two games, everyone gets crazy, and you have to get rid of this idea.

This is a reality of European basketball. I doubt it will change.

BeoBasket has been listed by Eurohoops as the number one agency in Europe with the highest number of players represented in the EuroLeague for the sixth season in a row. What new challenges you've been seeking lately?When it started six years ago, I was excited that now we have some real competition. But after six years, it's different.

But what really makes me happy is that you want to make an interview. Last week, I gave one interview for a Greek newspaper, and plenty of them were also asking. Three weeks ago, it was a Croatian journalist. One Spanish is on hold.

I have followed basketball for so many years. We had some great agents, like Luciano Capicchioni and many others. But I didn't see that kind of publicity around them.

I'm really refusing many interview requests. I really try not to be somebody all over the media. But it's some recognition that shows that I did something extraordinary if people from different countries are really interested to read what I say.

But there is one thing I want to address. Last week I gave a statement to the Greek media about Dejan Radonjic, saying that Panathinaikos wanted tough guys, but they signed two soft Lithuanian players, Grigonis and Gudaitis.

My friend from Lithuania, including coach Nenad Canak, said that it made a big noise in Lithuania (smiles). But I want to explain it a little bit to you.

First, Radonjic would like to have players like Lazic, Lazarevic, and Kalinic. Those two are really soft compared with them.

But I said bad words intentionally to send the message to Grigonis. He had some problems with the coach. Doesn't matter who's responsible for it, but the coach left. After one month, you're saying publicly that they had no coach? Why do you do it? What do you get from it? Nothing. You just make damage to this coach.

I believe that all of us, coaches, players, agents, in some way need to take care of each other. I wanted to do it intentionally so that this guy [Grigonis] knows that you can get revenge if you speak about the guy for no reason.

Now, all over Europe, the biggest agent in Europe said you're soft. Are you soft or not, nobody cares. The agent said it. Like with this coach.

I'm not saying if he's right or not. But one month after the departure of the coach, don't criticize him that way. Especially if you really didn't improve your stats after the coach left, and you didn't do anything spectacular.

I want people to understand that in today's social media era, you must be more careful with your words. This is a bad image for this coach for no reason. Now we have a bad image of Grigonis. But I hope people and players will understand that we all fight for basketball improvement, and we shouldn't go against each other for no reason.

Speaking of new challenges, how likely you're going to have your clients as the NBA champions this season? I'm talking about Nikola Jokic and his teammate Vlatko Cancar.I'm afraid it's going to be really hard. Especially in the semifinals with the Phoenix Suns. It's an outstanding team.

Denver has a home-court advantage, but the NBA home-court advantage is not like in Serbia, where it has a 70% impact.

They have a chance, but it's really very far from feeling serious about this.

But now the chances are bigger than ever.

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