For more than 10 years, Spanish guard Sergio Llull had resisted the temptation of making a move to the NBA. But even at 31 years old, he’s still not ready to rule it out as an option moving forward.
The Rockets first acquired Llull’s NBA rights during the 2009 NBA Draft. They nearly lured him to Houston in July 2015, but Llull opted to stay home with Spanish club Real Madrid, where he’s considered by many as the best international player not in the NBA.
This month, Llull is focused on leading Spain’s national team to the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which takes place from August 31 through September 15 in China. In a new interview with Diario AS, Llull addressed the subject of a potential move to the NBA.
“I am not closing the door,” Llull said, as translated by Eurohoops.net. “I actually appreciate [the] Houston Rockets’ interest every year and also the fact they respect my decision, because they have never pressured me. They are always nice to me, accepting my wishes. Right now, I am focused on the national team.”
Houston GM Daryl Morey has previously compared Llull to other international players who moved to the NBA after age 30 and still made an impact, such as Arvydas Sabonis.
At the moment, assuming health, there’s no apparent roster incentive for Llull to consider joining the Rockets. With James Harden and Russell Westbrook as the starting backcourt and Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers off the bench, virtually all of the guard minutes in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s system are already accounted for.
Both Gordon and Rivers, however, can become free agents next summer — which could create an opening for Llull, should he want it. His current contract with Real Madrid expires in 2021, though reports have said that the buyout figure isn’t too significant.
Llull averaged 10.6 points and 3.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per game for Real Madrid in the 2018-19 season. In March, Morey scouted at least one of Llull’s games in person.
Besides watching Spain in the upcoming World Cup, fans can also see how Llull fares against NBA competition during next week’s exhibition game between Spain and the United States on Friday, August 16. Spain is the world’s second-ranked team in FIBA’s international rankings, trailing only the Americans.
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