According to nearly everyone polled, the NBA schedule was the biggest factor to determine whether EuroLeague players signing at the end of the season will become a trend or was a one-year wonder due to Covid. “I think this trend is more of a result of the disparity in calendars between the European season and NBA free agency,” Octagon agent Alex Saratsis, who negotiated Vildoza’s four-year, $13.6 million deal with the Knicks,told HoopsHype. “Under normal circumstances, the NBA season would end April 15th, which would make it almost impossible for European free agents to buy themselves out of their contracts in March when there, in many instances, are still four months left in their season. It’s a combination of events because free agency won’t start until the beginning of August, so teams in Europe who are now at the end of their seasons look at their players and see an opportunity for an influx of cash in a year where cash flow for most teams is a major issue.”
Alex Saratsis Rumors
Luca Vildoza to Knicks on four-year, $13.6 million deal
Luca Vildoza, an Argentinian guard with Baskonia of the Spanish ACB League, has agreed in principle to a four-year, $13.6 million deal with the New York Knicks, his agent, Alex Saratsis of Octagon Sports, told ESPN.
Australian prospect Josh Giddey enters 2021 draft
Josh Giddey — a 6-foot-8 Australian playmaking guard — is entering the 2021 NBA draft, his agents Daniel Moldovan and Alex Saratsis of Octagon Sports told ESPN on Tuesday.Giddey is the No. 13 prospect in ESPN’s Top 100 NBA draft rankings, and could climb higher in the lottery.
He’d never put it on his business card and you won’t find it anywhere on his LinkedIn profile. But one of the greatest compliments Alex Saratsis ever received is a big reason why he had an offseason unlike any agent in NBA history. “Someone told me I’m the nicest dickhead they ever met,” says Saratsis.
It’s also on brand for the native of Greece that now calls Chicago home and credits his brutal honesty for allowing him to be the guy that secured two studs staggering sums of money. “When I’m negotiating with teams in free agency, being blunt with the client and being blunt with the team makes it easier to get a deal done,” says Saratsis. “So what do you prefer? To be honest and know what your value is? Or the BS? There’s no question I have to tone down the bluntness because it’s counterproductive, but it’s the way that I’ve always been.”
Octagon, the global leader in sports marketing and talent management, announced today that Alex Saratsis has been promoted to Co-Managing Director of Octagon Basketball. Saratsis joins Managing Director, Jeff Austin, in leadership of Octagon’s basketball division, and management of the agency’s NBA, WNBA, and global basketball client roster.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a hard time making extension decision
“One day, he’s in 1,000 percent. The next day, he’s asking more questions.” That, according to one source with knowledge, describes the ebbs and flows that led to Giannis Antetokounmpo deciding on Tuesday to sign a five-year, $228.2 million supermax contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks with an opt-out clause in 2025 and 15 percent trade kicker, sources say. The process leading to the decision, according to sources who spoke to The Athletic, consisted of an array of meetings, a hilarious birthday ploy by his teammates to get him to put “pen” to paper, conversations about the Bucks’ commitment to roster building after an offseason in which they landed Holiday and tons of trust by the two-time league MVP in his agent, Alex Saratsis.
