Kevin Pangos’s time in the NBA has been short. The point guard returns to Europe to reinforce CSKA, who already had him on their agenda last summer and that he was waiting for the Canadian to break up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As published Gazzetta.gr, Pangos would have signed with the Russian giant for the remainder of the season and two more (until summer 2024) for six million dollars in total.
CSKA’s interest in Pangos is not new. “For us, he would be the ideal point guard”, commented Andrey Vatutin, president of the Russian club, in an interview with BasketNews. Last season, the Canadian was one of the best point guards in the EuroLeague with 13.5 points and 6.6 assists per game on average. His Zenit put Barça in trouble in the playoff and the great season of the team gave him an invitation this year in the highest European competition.
Pangos, who kept the bullet in the CSKA chamber just in case, he spent the whole summer waiting for an offer in the NBA that didn’t arrive until September when the Cavs offered him two seasons for $3.5 million, even though he was really only guaranteed the first year for $1.6.
Pangos arrived in Europe thanks to the Gran Canaria basketball team. He then went to Zalgiris (2016-18) before signing for Barça, with whom he also played for two seasons. In 2020 he went to Xavi Pascual’s Zenit with whom he played his best season to date and was included in the ideal quintet of the Euroleague of that campaign.
