French big man Joffrey Lauvergne is officially a new player of Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce, the team announced today in a press release. Lauvergne signed a two-year deal and will remain under contract until 2020.
? Joffrey Lauvergne Fenerbahçe Do?u?'ta! (@1JOLOLO)
? https://t.co/l34xY895rO pic.twitter.com/Et5xI9nK6E
— Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) July 4, 2018
Last week Lauvergne decided to decline his player option for the next season and left the San Antonio Spurs with the intention of returning to Europe. The French big man was looking for a team where he could find more playing time. In addition to the will of playing more, Lauvergne also used this opportunity to leave the USA and paying only one of his two agents, the one that represents him in the European market.
Lauvergne spent four seasons in the NBA and played with four different teams: Nuggets, Thunder, Bulls, and Spurs. In the last season, Lauvergne averaged 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game but struggled to find playing time, averaging only 9 minutes per game.
With the addition of Joffrey Lauvergne, Fenerbahce confirms itself as one of the most ambitious teams in Europe. After winning Euroleague in the 2016-2017 season, Fenerbahce came short this year, being eliminated in the Final Four by Real Madrid. Lauvergne is expected to take the place of former Sacramento Kings big man Jason Thompson, who won’t remain with the team after a disappointing season.
