So, what is next for title holders Olympiacos?

After 13 years without a title and many F4 dissapointments, Olympiacos won the Euroleague. A bit more than a week has passed since this achievement, yet the Reds are already looking at the next day.  

Without any doubt, there is a core of players that Olympiacos will keep. Walkup, Dorsey, Fournier, Netzipoglou, Papanikolaou, Ward, Vezenkov, Milutinov and probably Hall and Jones will be there. Peters, after an amazing F4, will probably go to Milan, but Olympiacos should and will make en effort to keep him. Having Vezenkov in front of him will make it hard to convince him, as minutes are not a gurantee. Veterans and club regulars like Fall, Larentzakis and McKissic are a question mark. The French Center has 3 players in front of him, and his cycle may be over, while the Greek swingman has lost his spot in the rotation as a backup SG, barely featuring in Europe. With the emergence of Aris, PAOK or AEK, I think a contract at those teams, with a large role would be the best move for him. The need for Greek passports could be enough to keep him in the roster however. McKissic could also continue his career in Greece, as there is some reported interest from PAOK. At Point Guard, Olympiacos has already made 2 moves (Montero and Miller-McIntyre). Joseph is having a great run, so he could win a renewal, however the guard rotation seems to be loaded. Ntilikina (ASVEL should try to sign him), Evans and Morris will leave. Out of all the outgoings, I could only see Joseph or McKissic returning, unless the Reds make a huuge counteroffer for Peters. One of the Hall-Jones-Fall is leaving, and the clear bet as of now is Fall. 

Thus, the rotation will look like this at first sight

Montero*/Miller-McIntyre*/Walkup

Dorsey/Fournier/X

Ward/Papanikolaou/Netzipoglou

Vezenkov/X

Milutinov/Jones/Hall

If Larentzakis and McKissic are leaving, I expect a swingman to be signed, unless one of those two remain at Olympiacos. With 5 Greek players, Larentzakis has en extra value, although McKissic proved in the F4 that he still has got it. A PF will surely be added, with Braxton Key being a rumour. I do believe that Olympiacos need to go after a player with different characteristics to Vezenkov and Peters, who could mostly play only at PF (although in the F4 we saw Peters at the 3), and are elite shooting bigs. Key is the opposite, as he is a bad shooter, but an elite defensive presence, hyper athletic and a very good slasher or cutter. 

At PG, I think the Montero signing, if completed, could be the move of the summer. Not only was he the Playoffs MVP, he also has shown a continuous growth since his days at Betis, reaching All-Euroleague status and showing MVP potential. His scoring was always good, but he is taking more mature choices and his playmaking is becoming better by the day. That aspect of his game has developed a lot when compared to early this year or last year. While Joseph as serviceable in the F4, it is fair to say he is not an elite PG, and Olympiacos has lacked that since Sloukas left. Walkup has some serious limitations and is a role player, Morris did not work out, Vildoza or Lee underwhelmed, Joseph was decent and Evans was unlucky. Montero is as safe as a choice as it gets. 

Miller-McIntyre is another player coming from a great year, with Red Star Belgrade. While he has had 3 very good Euroleague seasons, his transfer does not convince me as much. Pound for pound he is better than Joseph for example, but I believe that the Canadian is a better fit than the very ball heavy CMM, who can provide playmaking and slashing, but lacks in shooting. I also believe Montero-Joseph-Walkup allows Walkup to be more present in the rotation and saves up money. Nonetheless, the nationalized Bulgarian player is one of the hottest names in the market for a reason.