Former NBA guard Jerian Grant recently signed a contract with Olimpia Milano, and it doesn’t appear the Italian team is done acquiring players with NBA experience.
According to a pair of reports from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Olimpia Milano is also on track to sign veteran power forward Nicolò Melli and is close to reaching a deal with free agent shooting guard Troy Daniels.
Melli, 30, played for Olimpia Milano from 2010-15 and has spent time with a handful of other European clubs since beginning his pro career in 2007. He made his NBA debut in 2019 with the Pelicans and has since appeared in a total of 105 games (15.3 MPG) for New Orleans and Dallas, averaging 5.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.2 APG on .392/.316/.745 shooting.
Melli was involved in the March trade that sent JJ Redick from the Pelicans to the Mavericks and played a part-time role for Dallas down the stretch. However, it seems his NBA career won’t continue, as the 6-foot-9 Italian sounds poised to return home. Melli is also expected to play for Italy in the Olympics later this month after helping the team earn a spot in last week’s qualifying tournament.
Daniels, meanwhile, has appeared in 339 career regular-season NBA games, but didn’t catch on with a team for the 2020-21 season. His last stint in the NBA came in ’19-20, when he averaged 4.3 PPG on .387/.348/.625 shooting in 47 games (11.3 MPG) for the Lakers and Nuggets.
If Daniels finalizes a deal with Olimpia Milano, it’ll be his first time playing overseas, Carchia notes.
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