After signing a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers but being waived last month, former Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis is returning to play professionally in his native Lithuania.
Lithuanian news site 15min.lt reported that Tubelis signed a three-year contract with BC Rytas, the club in his hometown of Vilnius, but will be loaned to Neptunas Klaipeda for this season. Tubelis played for the Rytas’ youth club before joining Arizona for the 2020-21 season, and Rytas had retained his rights.
Tubelis is expected to earn the equivalent of about $150,000-200,000 in each of the next three seasons.
According to a translated version of 15min.lt, sources said, “the crowded front line of ‘Rytas’ led to the decision to find another temporary home for the player, guaranteeing a role and plenty of minutes.” Neptunas is 3-5 so far this season.
The Lithuanian club that UA freshman Paulius Murauskas played for last season, Lietkabelis, also expressed interest in Tubelis. Murauskas was under contract with top Lithuanian club Zalgiris, but it also did not have room for him to play regularly last season, so loaned him to Lietkabelis.
After becoming a consensus second-team all-American as a junior at Arizona last season, Tubelis left for the NBA Draft but was not selected. He signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia that would allow him to shuttle back and forth between the 76ers and their G League club in Delaware, but the Sixers cut Tubelis completely when they re-signed Ricky Council IV.
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd talked about former UA forward Azuolas Tubelis signing with the Philadelphia 76ers as an undrafted free agent.
