Utah Jazz reportedly sign Italian forward Simone Fontecchio
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What the Utah Jazz roster will look like on opening night of the 2022-23 NBA season is still far from determined – a potential blockbuster Donovan Mitchell trade continues to weigh on the franchise – but according to a report Sunday, there is at least one name Jazz fans can count on for the franchise next season.
As first reported by EurodevotionJazz sign Italian Simone Fontecchio to a two-year deal that will bring 26-year-old Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia to the NBA for the first time in his career.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed as to whether it is secured or not.
According to EuroHoops, Fontecchio’s current three-year deal with Saski Baskonia – which is part of Spain’s Liga ACB and the Euroleague – includes an NBA exit clause which expires this month.
Simone Fontecchio of Italy celebrates after scoring a three-pointer during the men’s basketball preliminary game at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Saitama, Japan.
Undrafted in 2017 and listed at 6-foot-8, Fontecchio averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game over his 10-year professional basketball career.
Fontecchio played for Italian clubs Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, Olimpia Milano, Vanoli Cremona and Pallacanestro Reggiana, as well as German club Alba Berlin, before Saski-Baskonia.
He also represented Italy at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (the Italians lost to France in the quarter-finals, finishing fifth overall).
Last season, Fontecchio averaged 11.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 22 Euroleague games, averaging 26 minutes per game. He shot 40.2% from 3 points.