Transfer market: Scariolo at the crossroads, Toronto and Real Madrid are looking for him

Today the scudetto sprint starts that Virtus faces in the starting blocks with internal match 1 against Brindisi, but in the house of the V Nere there is also talk of much more. Market rumors, and perhaps something more, blow impetuously around Sergio Scariolo, on the NBA-Europe axis, with prestigious benches interested in the Juventus coach and Spain coach. The Toronto Raptors and Real Madrid have knocked on the door of the coach from Brescia, who is therefore forced to surf questions about the future when everyone, starting with himself, asks for the “here and now”. Certainly, at the moment, there is only Don Sergio’s Juventus contract for next year as well and it is from here that we must in any case start.

Raptors

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Masai Ujiri, president of Toronto, and GM Bobby Webster landed in Bologna last Thursday to meet Scariolo. Appointment at the Baglioni, in the city center, also planned with Virtus who have been asked for the approval for a summit that relaunches the quotations of the Italian coach for the Canadian bench. Few pleasantries because those who have “rounded up” have known each other for some time, given that Scariolo spent three years in Toronto, from 2018 to 2021, complete with an NBA title as Nick Nurse’s deputy, who was celebrated this spring. And for the seat left vacant, the Spain coach is now among the possible candidates, even if in large company. Maybe not the first, but not even the last of the squad: the live meeting, during the European tour of the Raptors management, read between the lines, is a heavy bill, also considering the non-flattering competition. JJ Redick and Becky Hammon in the first place, but the list would also include the former assistant of the Raptors, Patrick Mutombo (as a player also in Italy), the current assistant of the Golden State Warriors Kenny Atkinson, the assistant of the Milwaukee Bucks Charles Lee, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Philadelphia 76ers assistant Sam Cassell, Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman. In the sprint platoon, Scariolo would still be in the top positions.

He confirms

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It was the Virtus coach himself who confirmed the summit, in the pre-playoff conference: “I promptly informed the club of everything that happened. The Raptors asked permission for this “interview”, it was a good conversation with people I met won a title, they are almost friends. I believe that things have been done correctly, in the light of day. But now the concentration is 100% on this playoff and I feel a good connection with the team. It’s time to have fun and play for something. The future? It’s tomorrow. I won’t say anything about Madrid because there’s nothing to say.”

Spain

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In reality there are things to say and how. From Spain there is also the rumor of a meeting, at the beginning of the week, with the managers of Real Madrid who consider Scariolo the number one candidate after Chus Mateo, to whom probably only a victory in the Euroleague Final Four would ensure his place for next season . In the meantime, the square invokes Don Sergio, the management aims at him and the Spain coach would hardly say no to the Grand Return (he coached the Blancos from 1999 to 2002 with a title in 2000). At the moment it seems more Spain than the NBA even if the contract with Virtus would then have to be settled, willing to bid farewell for the first NBA bench of an Italian coach and the second of a European (the first was Kokoskov in Phoenix), less for a European club. The CEO of Virtus Luca Baraldi reiterated: “Scariolo has the contract, he is very confirmed”. But then the market is the art of the possible and under the arcades of Bologna the names of Andrea Trinchieri leaving Bayern Munich and a Djordjevic-bis are already blowing. In short, a jumble of rumors that all the protagonists would have gladly postponed to the end of June when the impression expressed by patron Zanetti should also materialize: “I’m almost certain that we will also play the next Euroleague”. And at that point, with bowls still, everything will be clearer.