Veteran NBA center Daniel Theis joined the New Orleans Pelicans in the summer to play a role on a contender given the poor center depth for the franchise. Unfortunately, injuries doomed the Pelicans’ season before it started and he was traded to the OKC Thunder to shed salary. The contending Thunder promptly waived Theis, who is now fielding offers for his next job.
Amidst interested European and NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, it seems Theis has decided where he’ll be headed next. According to Eurohoops, Theis is close to signing a contract with French basketball side AS Monaco Basket.
“AS Monaco is close to signing big man Daniel Theis according to SDNA. The German forward/center was being released by the Oklahoma City Thunder and is free to sign with any team after clearing waivers. Theis was reported to also have a big offer in his hands by Panathinaikos Athens.”
Theis averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds this season for the Pelicans. He’s a well-rounded veteran center who can play against switch-heavy offenses while providing solidity inside. He has been in the NBA since the 2017-18 season but has been a journeyman who’s played for six teams.
Theis last played in Europe with Brose Bramberg in 2017 before signing up with the Boston Celtics for the 2017-18 season. He stayed with the club until 2021, becoming the team’s starting center for a few seasons as well. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he played half a season before signing with the Houston Rockets for the 2021-22 season.
Theis would get traded mid-season again, rejoining the Celtics for their run to the 2022 NBA Finals. He’d get traded in the offseason to the Indiana Pacers, where he played a role as a backup center and veteran to the franchise’s young big man core for the 2022-23 season. He joined a contender for the 2023-24 season, playing the entire year as a rotational center for the Los Angeles Clippers.
He signed with the Pelicans hoping to fill a center-hole on the franchise after Jonas Valancuinas left in the summer, but the team would be forced into tanking mode early into the season. This led to rookie Yves Missi taking Theis’ minutes away, which led to a salary-dumping trade to the Thunder so that the Pels could come under the luxury tax.
Despite his journeyman career, multiple NBA teams would still like to have a well-rounded veteran center like Theis in their rotation.
He would be very important for a team like the Lakers, who currently are relying on just Jaxson Hayes as a full-time center. Theis likely wouldn’t supplant Hayes as the starter right now after the Lakers’ recent form, but he’d be a great high IQ backup option with less athleticism. The Lakers rescinded an acquisition of Mark Williams due to the Hornets’ center failing his physical, so a signing like Theis is useful.
If he ends up signing with AS Monaco, the likelihood of him returning to the NBA is slim. He gets to play basketball in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe while also being much closer to home. He’s still not confirmed to sign with them, but it seems teams like the Lakers will have to look elsewhere to find a playable Playoff center.
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