Former Chicago Bull Andres Nocioni Says Real Madrid’s Facundo Campazzo Could Be NBA Bound

In recent years, Argentinian basketball star Facundo Campazzo has established himself as one of the better point guards not currently playing in the NBA. However, the 29-year-old could potentially make the jump from the Spanish ACB League, where he runs the point for Real Madrid, to America this summer, according to another Argentinian who previously made a successful jump to the NBA.

As reported by Eurohoops, Andres Nocioni told a Spanish news outlet that Campazzo could consider a similar move to the U.S. Nocioni spent parts of five seasons with the Chicago Bulls in the mid-to-late 2000s before finishing his NBA run with stints in Sacramento and Philadelphia.

Via translation, Nocioni is reported to have said that Campazzo has seen the NBA as a possibility since he was very young. Nocioni maintained that Campazzo isn’t going to push it, but circumstances could make him consider the possibility nonetheless.

The former Bull likely has a firmer grasp on Campazzo’s abilities than most, as the two were teammates for three years and won championships together with Real Madrid, in addition to being countrymen.

While losing Campazzo could hurt his current club on the court, the NBA move would actually provide a needed financial windfall for Real Madrid.

Basketball leagues around the world have suspended play in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and while NBA teams are largely built to withstand the financial blow, teams in other leagues around the world may not be.

To that end, Nocioni believes that Real Madrid could stand to benefit from losing their starting point guard as the result of a buyout clause in his contract.

Campazzo extended his current deal with Real Madrid through 2024 just last summer. So, in order for him to sign with an NBA squad, that organization would have to pay the lion’s share of a contract buyout for the remainder of his deal. Per Eurohoops, that would equate to approximately $5.3 million of a $6 million buyout clause.

Such clauses are commonplace in contracts for high-level players in Europe.

Regardless of the cost, it’s not unfathomable that a team could bite the proverbial bullet and sign Campazzo should he eventually elect to explore his NBA options. Campazzo is a multi-time All-League selection in Spain. He previously helped Real Madrid to two EuroLeague titles and was the 2019 ACB Finals Most Valuable Player.

In 54 games across all competitions during the 2019-20 season, Campazzo averaged 10.3 points, 6.4 assists and nearly three rebounds per contest, while shooting nearly 38 percent from three-point range. However, he is slightly undersized for a modern NBA point guard, measuring just under 6 feet tall and weighing 195 pounds.

While Campazzo potentially weighs signing with an NBA team, Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is approaching his next contract in an unprecedented way. As reported by The Inquisitr, he’s offering fans the opportunity to chose his next team, provided they meet a crowdfunding goal.