National basketball coach Gordon Herbert will have to wait even longer for any commitments from his NBA stars for the home European Championships in autumn.
“There are many variables and there is a lot going on. We won’t know what the situation is before the summer,” the Canadian said SID. Most recently, star player Dennis Schröder had declared that he wanted to play for Germany at the European Championships (September 1 to 18).
Herbert spoke to Schröder in December, although his commitment is likely to be provisional for the time being. “He’s very determined to play,” said the manager. “At the end of the day he has a one-year contract that expires after this season. There could be insurance issues or problems with a new contract, so we’ll just have to wait and see.” Schröder was unable to take part in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics due to insurance problems.
At that time, Schröder’s future in the NBA was not yet clear. He later moved from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Boston Celtics, which he recently left for the Houston Rockets. His $5.9 million contract expires at the end of the season. Last season, he turned down an offer from the Lakers for $84 million for four years.
Meanwhile, Herbert has not yet spoken specifically to players like Daniel Theis (Boston Celtics), Maximilian Kleber (Dallas Mavericks) or Franz and Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic) about participating in the European Championship. “Just as I’ve met the BBL players in person, I hope to meet all the EuroLeague and NBA players in person. To see how they are doing. And if they’re available in the summer,” he said.
The final round of the European Championship will take place in Germany, among other places. The German team plays its group phase in Cologne, the final round takes place in Berlin.
