Vasilije Micic was a premier topic surrounding Oklahoma City back in April. Immediately after the EuroLeague regular season concluded, Sam Presti pulled the trigger on forward Gabriel Deck from Real Madrid, then, Micic appeared to be the next target.
In a 48-hour span, Micic went from being scouted on every Thunder fans report card to wiped off the grid. But how? Original reports suggested the 27-year-old would join the Thunder after the 2021-22 season, but after his agent, Misko Raznatovic, addressed the media — he depicted a much different story. “This [Micic to OKC] is completely false information,” said Raznatovic.
Even after Raznatovic appeared to have cleared the air, Micic’s pathway to the NBA is far from over, and if he so choses — it’s just getting started.
Micic has been a standout guard in Europe for well over five years now but as reports tallied in from the EuroLeague, he’s the top dog. As announced by the league Thursday, Micic was awarded the EuroLeague MVP for his contributions this season.
The 6-foot-6 guard posted the fourth-best scoring total at 16.3 points to tag along with 4.8 assists to take home the trophy.
Micic pioneered a late-season turnaround for Anadolu Efes in a push that saw the group win out 14 of their final 17 games, topped off by dousing Deck’s former team in Read Madrid to reach the Final Four.
As a guard, Micic has been considered a top candidate to make the transition from overseas play for a lump of years. His passing arsenal is to the likes of Deck, Poku, and Maledon — cross court passes, no-looks, behind-the-head passes, and more, he can do it all. Off the ball, Micic asserted himself as one of the better perimeter shooters in the EuroLeague dropping in 38.5 percent of threes this season.
Raznatovic mentioned in the same interview from above that “[He] really believe[s] that he [Micic] will be next year in the NBA at OKC or somewhere else.” That quote suggests that Micic’s venture to the NBA is no pipe dream, and for any potential waterways he would like to go through — it all must start with Oklahoma City.
At 27, Micic would be an excellent mentor towards Oklahoma City’s guards and pass-first wings the roster has to offer, but a lack of space come draft day may X out any minutes on the roster. If that is the case, Micic’s rights can easily be distributed by the Thunder on draft day. So, if moved, that’s still a major win for what was expected to be a stagnant draft right that would be balked on in fifty years.
As Raznatovic put things best for Micic’s future, “We will know in July.”