Cavs Adding EuroLeague Star Kevin Pangos On Two-Year Deal

The Cavaliers have agreed to a two-year contract with former Zenit St. Petersburg guard Kevin Pangos, agent Zach Kurtin told Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The contract is worth $3.5 million, with the first year of $1.67 million being fully guaranteed, Marks noted.

Pangos, 28, is 6-foot-2 and is considered one of the best all-around guards in EuroLeague, capably handling both backcourt positions. 

“Cleveland had been looking to add point guard depth even though it acquired Ricky Rubio earlier this offseason,” wrote Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors. “With only 10 other players on guaranteed contracts, the Cavs had the flexibility to add Pangos.”

Of the players on Cleveland’s roster, Damyean Dotson, Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade and Mfiondu Kabengele all possess non-guaranteed contracts. Pangos could serve as both a third point guard to Darius Garland and Rubio, and backup to shooting guard Collin Sexton.

A native of Canada, Pangos went undrafted after four seasons at Gonzaga in 2015, when he was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year. 

In 39 games with Zenit, he averaged 13.9 points and 6.7 assists, and made it clear he was eyeing the NBA following the season.

“The club did everything to keep Kevin in Zenit. But he has a goal that did not allow us to do this. We respect and understand any decision of this player,” the general director of Zenit, Alexander Tserkovny, told Sergey Yaremenko of RIA Novosti, via Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.