Former first-rounder Terrance Ferguson expected to sign with Greek team

Former NBA wing Terrance Ferguson is expected to join Greek team AEK Athens, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Basketball writer/insider Luca D’Alessandro notes that the team has been waiting for a “ban” to be lifted to make the signing official. He’s referring to this article from EuroHoops author Antigoni Zachari, which essentially states that AEK Athens can’t officially come to terms with new players until they’ve settled all debts with previous players.

Ferguson, still just 23 years old, was selected by the Thunder with the 21st overall pick in the 2017 draft and played his first three seasons with the club, from 2017 to 2020. During that time, he started 124 out of 191 games and held averages of 4.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game with a .406/.337/.753 shooting line. He spent last season with the Sixers, but couldn’t crack the team’s rotation and appeared in only 13 games for a total of 47 minutes.

Ferguson is an electric athlete and decent defender, but evidently he was unable to develop his offensive skills enough to stick in the NBA after his rookie contract expired. He showed flashes of potential with the Thunder, but was traded to the Sixers in the deal that sent Danny Green to the Sixers in exchange for Al Horford. He was later traded to the Knicks last March in a complicated move that brought George Hill to the Sixers and involved several second-round picks, but he was subsequently waived by the Knicks.