Virtus prepare for another busy summer amid unclear future in EuroLeague / News - Basketnews.com

Virtus Bologna won't participate in the EuroLeague playoffs this season and wait for a verdict from EuroLeague to understand their future in the competition. In the meanwhile, the Italian club is already preparing for a busy summer.

Credit: Michele Nucci/LiveMedia //SIPA - Scanpix Credit Michele Nucci/LiveMedia //SIPA - Scanpix

Last week, Virtus Segafredo Bologna were officially eliminated from the EuroLeague playoff contention. Reaching the playoffs in their first season back in the main European competition was always considered a long shot.

Not necessarily because the team lacked the ambition to do so, but because the competition level is extremely high. Despite the additions made last summer, Virtus still lacked the necessary depth and experience to make it to the postseason.

Injuries played also played their part in the difficult Virtus season. Tornike Shengelia, Jordan Mickey, Iffe Lundberg, Alessandro Pajola, Milos Teodosic, and Semi Ojeleye missed multiple games during the season due to physical issues. For a team that didn't have a lot of depth, it caused many problems.

However, on many occasions, the Italian club also showed a lack of fighting spirit. Sergio Scariolo's team lost 8 games by 15 points or more, including a 46-point defeat against Olympiacos Piraeus and a 31-point loss against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Virtus poorly started the games, especially on the road. The Italian powerhouse tended to collapse completely without reacting to the opponents' energy.

The fact that, after many years of not playing in the EuroLeague, coming back would not be easy was at least predictable for Virtus management. Having a substantial budget alone could not be enough to enter directly among the top eight forces in European basketball.

With the focus shifting to the Italian championship, which the Bolognese team will try to win again after the success of two years ago, it is also inevitable that we begin to question what could be the Virtus future as we look ahead to next season.

Having failed to make the playoffs, Virtus will not have a guaranteed spot in the next edition of the competition. This season, the Italian team participated as EuroCup champions.

It is no mystery that Virtus' ownership aims to become a permanent member of the EuroLeague, thus aiming to obtain a multi-year license.

In the recent talks in Barcelona between Virtus and EuroLeague managements, the new arena project that Virtus presented played a very important role.

The new Segafredo Arena has been one of the Massimo Zanetti ownership's goals from the moment he obtained a majority stake in the club. The new facility will be built in the BolognaFiere area and will cost between 55 and 60 million euros in total.

The Segafredo Arena should be completed by the end of 2024 so that Virtus can use it as early as 2025. The arena should have a capacity of about 10,000 spectators, an essential standard for a team that wants to be in the EuroLeague permanently.

In recent years, EuroLeague has seen exponential growth in central European markets, especially in France, Italy, and Germany.

In the near future, Marshall Glickman, the current CEO of EuroLeague, wants to bring the focus back to major European cities. In that sense having another Italian team within EuroLeague in a city like Bologna, historically among the most passionate in Europe, is something that is held in high regard.

Virtus Bologna continue to be optimistic about its chances of participating in the next EuroLeague thanks to a wild card, multiple sources with knowledge of Virtus' environment told BasketNews. Still, the definitive answer won't arrive before the end of the season.

In the meantime, Virtus will focus on the season finale in the Italian league and work on the roster for next season. The Italian team has many players with expiring contracts, and many things could change in this respect next season.

The two expiring contracts that draw the most attention are those of Milos Teodosic and Marco Belinelli, the two most relevant investments made by Massimo Zanetti's ownership.

After a complicated start, in which Belinelly struggled to find his rhythm, he has grown a lot in the second part of the season and returned to play a vital role for the team.

Throughout the season, there was no shortage of misunderstandings with Scariolo, who often kept him out of the rotation in EuroLeague games, but the situation has improved significantly in recent months.

Negotiations for Belinelli's contract renewal are underway. The feeling is that an agreement will be reached at the end of the season to continue together again, albeit with a figure down from the previous contract.

Belinelli is very connected to the Virtus environment, and other possibilities, at the moment, seem to be only remote.

Marco BelinelliCredit Roberto Finizio/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Europe

The Italian team also works on Teodosic's contract renewal. Despite being 36 years old, the Serbian player remains a cornerstone player for Virtus, both technically and emotionally.

Just like Belinelli, Teodosic is also very connected to the environment of Bologna and Virtus. The family has settled in very well in the city, and Virtus owner Massimo Zanetti is ready to please the player to retain him again.

Teodosic, back in 2021, when he extended his agreement with Virtus until 2023, chose to lower his initial salary, trying to help the club that had been hit financially, like many others, by Covid.

At the moment, the only prospect that could drive him away from Bologna is a return to his homeland. It is no mystery that Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade would love to bring the player back to Serbia, and at 36 years old, it would be reasonable for the player to consider a return to his homeland.

Despite the Crvena Zvezda's president, Nebojsa Covic's, statements about reaching an agreement with Teodosic, there is still no deal between the parties, and Teodosic will give priority to Virtus, sources have told BasketNews.

Another expiring contract belongs to Nico Mannion. The 22-year-old Italian faced two difficult seasons with Virtus. The first was heavily affected by injuries and physical problems.

Meanwhile, this season, the Italian player has seen minutes almost exclusively in the Italian league, often remaining out of the EuroLeague rotation. His current contract is significant, as the player earns approximately 900,000 euros; at those figures, it is complicated for Virtus to extend him.

With Daniel Hackett, Lundberg, and Pajola already under contract for next season and the club's willingness to extend the contracts of Teodosic and Belinelli, there would again be little room for Mannion in coach Scariolo's rotations.

For both sides, in all likelihood, the best solution is to go separate ways. Mannion has several admirers in Italy, but it will be difficult for him to remain in the Italian league unless he considerably reduces his salary.

Looking abroad, Hapoel Jerusalem already showed interest in Mannion during this season, a source told BasketNews.

The Italian national team member recently changed NBA representation, switching to Glushon Sports Management, and will look into his chances of returning to the NBA this summer.

Mannion is currently a restricted free agent at the NBA level since the Golden State Warriors extended a qualifying two-way offer last summer.

Among the players on expiring deals, there is also Isaia Cordinier, who joined Virtus Bologna in 2021. The Frenchman is considered an important element for his versatility, and Virtus would like to try to keep him, but there is also an interest in him from Monaco.

The Monaco club considers Cordinier an ideal profile for coach Obradovic's system and would add a French player of depth to their rotation. An initial contract proposal has already been presented to the player, a source told BasketNews.

Isaia CordinierCredit D. Lukšta

Like last summer, the Virtus frontcourt is set to change its face. The two youngsters Camara and Menalo, who completed the rotations this year, are both expected to leave the team.

Camara will become a free agent at the end of the season, and the chances of his renewal are considered limited at the moment, multiple sources told BasketNews. Menalo, on the other hand, is expected to be moved on loan to another club to gain experience and accumulate minutes.

Mouhammadou Jaiteh, who had been a major force during the 2021-22 season, didn't show the same performance level this season, especially in EuroLeague, and will leave the team at the end of the season.

As previously reported by BasketNews, Jaiteh is expected to become a new player of Monaco next season, signing a two-year deal.

Even the future of Jordan Mickey and Ismael Bako remains uncertain at the moment. Both players haven't been convincing with their performances so far, and their stay next season is not guaranteed.

Bako signed a 1+1 deal last summer, while Mickey is still under contract for next season. If Virtus find better options on the market, both players might leave the club in the summer.

The coach situation deserves a separate discussion. Sergio Scariolo has another year on his contract with Virtus and is highly regarded by owner Massimo Zanetti, who a few days ago called him one of the best coaches in the world.

However, during this season, there have been some differences of views between Scariolo and a part of the management, especially regarding roster structuring.

The Italian coach has often described his roster as "unbalanced," and it is certainly no mystery that the coach would welcome the possibility of adding at least one more big man.

During the past offseason and right before the deadline for the EuroLeague transfers, Virtus were close to signing Italian power forward Achille Polonara, but in the end, the management decided to stay put.

A decision not shared by Scariolo, who nevertheless went on with his work without further recrimination.

According to multiple sources, Scariolo would love to have more input on the transfers, which has been difficult to achieve since the relationship with CEO Luca Baraldi hasn't always been perfect.

From Spain, there've been reports about the potential interest of Real Madrid for Scariolo, but the Spanish club hasn't made a definitive decision on the future of coach Chus Mateo yet, and a lot will depend on how the season will unravel in terms of results.

But if Real Madrid will indeed come knocking at Sergio Scariolo's door, the Italian coach would be open to listening to their offer, multiple sources have told BasketNews.

Credit Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Should Virtus and Scariolo part ways a year ahead before his contract expires, one name held in high regard by Virtus management is Andrea Trinchieri, the current coach of Bayern Munich, another source told BasketNews.

As for potential targets for next season, Virtus Bologna continue to monitor Polonara's situation, who will be a free agent in the summer. However, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan also follow Polonara's situation since they would probably need to make several changes in the Italian players' department.

Two other names on Virtus' notebook are Matteo Spagnolo, who has another year left on his contract with Real Madrid and is playing on loan in Trento this season, and Gabriele Procida, who signed a multi-year contract with ALBA Berlin last summer, a source told BasketNews.

However, it's obvious the Italian team's market for next season will only come alive when the EuroLeague provides more specific information on its chances of playing in the EuroLeague next season.

In recent years, Virtus' ownership has never had any major problems spending what was needed to strengthen the team. It is almost certain that they will do it again, especially with the confirmed place in the EuroLeague.

Let's prepare for another summer of changes because it looks like Virtus Bologna will be, once again, a busy team during the offseason.

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