MONDAY MARKET CHECK

There's lots of money looking for a home in European basketball right now, and BC Roma gave the blueprint on how to spend it.

Everybody keeps asking which teams NBA Europe is going to choose. Maybe we should be asking which teams are already building themselves to be chosen.

Look at what BC Roma is doing. A few months ago, an investment group led by Donnie Nelson and including Luka Dončić bought Vanoli Cremona and moved the club into Rome. They're playing in Serie A and EuroCup. Ownership is openly positioning the club to be well-placed when NBA Europe arrives on the continent.

Interesting enough on its own…then you start looking at who they're putting around the organization. Donnie Nelson spent decades in the NBA. Luka is an investor and the public face. Sergio Scariolo came on as a strategy advisor. Now Chris Mullin and Bryan Colangelo have joined the advisory board, with Mike D'Antoni reportedly headed for the board of directors.

This doesn't feel like somebody bought a basketball team in Italy and thought, "Let's see how this goes." More like they're building the infrastructure for something much bigger and we need to start paying attention.

When I played, you looked at a club based on what it was right then. What league are they in? What are they paying? Do they pay on time? Where did they finish last year? Is my apartment going to have furniture? That last one was more important than people realize.

Now I think players need to start asking some other questions. What is this organization trying to become? Because the club you sign with today might look completely different two years from now.

BC Roma is a perfect example. They're starting in Serie A and EuroCup, but they're putting NBA people around the organization and positioning themselves for a league that isn't supposed to begin until 2027. If you're a player, an agent, or someone advising players, you should be doing the same thing.

Don't look at the logo on the contract. Look at ownership, who's investing, who’s joining the front office. Look at which competitions they're trying to enter. Try to figure out where that organization wants to be after your contract ends.

We're watching billions of dollars move toward European basketball right now. Some clubs are going to grow with it. Some are going to get left exactly where they are. BC Roma looks like it's trying pretty fucking hard to make sure it isn't in the second group.

That's what I'm watching. Not just who NBA Europe eventually picks, but who is already positioning themselves to make it impossible to say no.

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