Western Conference contender nabs EuroLeague MVP

Five years after drafting Marvin Bagley III ahead of Luka Doncic, the Kings are bringing in 2023 EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov. The 6-foot-9 Bulgarian sharpshooter was the top scorer in the EuroLeague, averaging 17.6 points for Greek club Olympiacos, shooting 65.5% from the field. 

After going undefeated in the Greek league, Vezenkov's team lost the EuroLeague final by a point, despite him scoring a modern final-record 29 points.

Now he's moving on to the NBA, where he should become an important role player for the Kings. While Vezenkov isn't particularly fast or athletic by NBA standards, he's a fantastic shooter from anywhere on the court and he's a very smart player. 

His passing and basketball smarts are a lot like Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, another below-average athlete (for the NBA!) who has thrived with the Kings.

Vezenkov is also big and strong and plays very hard, two qualities that should make up for his other limitations. It could be a bargain contract for Sacramento, as it's easy to see Vezenkov being part of the Kings' closing lineup by midseason.

It's not the first time the Kings have brought in a big, sweet-shooting former Euro MVP, either. In 2018, they poached Nemanja Bjelica from the Timberwolves, who won the MVP for Fenerbahce in the 2014-15 season.

Kings fans may not have expected this move when the team traded the No. 24 pick to clear cap space on draft night, but Vezenkov has huge upside for Sacramento. 

And when he has his first big scoring night, fans at the Golden 1 Center will be chanting, "Zapali Lucha!" — that's "Light the beam!" in Bulgarian.