Chris Duarte Signs With Spanish Team

Former NBA first-round pick Chris Duarte has signed with Unicaja Malaga, the Spanish club announced in a press release. It’s a two-year deal for Duarte, with a team option on the second year.

Duarte, 28, was selected 13th overall in the 2021 draft out of Oregon and spent his first two seasons in Indiana before moving on to Sacramento and then Chicago.

The 6’5″ wing had a promising rookie year for the Pacers in 2021/22, posting 13.1 points per game with a 36.9% mark on three-pointers, but saw his playing time and production dwindle in the following years. In ’24/25, he averaged just 4.4 minutes per night across 17 appearance for the Bulls before waived in early February to accommodate the incoming players in the Zach LaVine trade.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Duarte joined the Puerto Rican team Vaqueros de Bayamon in March and averaged 19.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists with a .383 3PT% in 28 games. Now, he’ll head to Europe for the first time in his playing career.

Duarte will be joining a Unicaja Malaga squad that is coming off winning its second consecutive title in the FIBA Champions League. The club also finished fourth in the Liga ACB standings with a 23-11 record and advanced to the semifinals in the Spanish league’s postseason before being eliminated by Real Madrid, the eventual champs.