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2 NBA Frontrunners Emerge To Sign Boban Marjanovic

2 NBA Frontrunners Emerge To Sign Boban Marjanovic

Boban Marjanovic is one of the NBA’s most beloved and respected role players.

Standing at a towering 7′ 4″, he boasts the sort of physical gifts that only someone Victor Wembanyama can bring to the table.

Although Marjanovic’s skillset is obviously a little less refined than Wembanyama’s, he can still be a contributor off the bench and solid locker room glue guy at this stage in his career.

Two teams seem to be the frontrunners for Marjanovic’s services heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.

The first team to keep an eye on when it comes to Marjanovic is the Houston Rockets. He was traded there in the same deal that sent Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks, and he spent most of the season with the team aside from being briefly waived.

Jabari Smith Jr., one of the Rockets’ young stars, described Marjanovic as the best teammate he has ever had.

“It was so good to have Boban in the locker room, man,” Smith said, per Orazio Cauchi of BasketNews.com. “He’s one of the nicest people in the world, he’s always smiling, cheering you up.

“If he’s having a bad day, you’ll never be able to understand it because he has always this amazing attitude. He was always coming to hug me every single time I stepped into the locker room, making sure I was ok.”

Smith didn’t stop there, though.

“He’s just a great teammate, the best teammate I ever had, I know I’ve been in the league only for one year, but throughout my career, I’ve never met anybody who was that consistent.

“He’s always working in the gym on his game, always nice to all the people he has around. If you want to know how to have a long career in the league, just look at Boban and what he does.”

Everything the Rockets are doing right now is based around the core idea of bringing in mature veterans to help develop the team’s young talents. That is what the Fred VanVleet signing was all about. And that’s why Ime Udoka ultimately didn’t want James Harden.

Marjanovic has proven that he fits in Houston, and he is precisely the type of veteran presence that team could use.

If not the Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers are also a team worth keeping an eye on.

L.A. made a lot of big re-signings so far this offseason. Austin Reaves (and his very popular girlfriend), Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell are all returning. Gabe Vincent was also added to the equation following a great playoff run with the Miami Heat.

But the one area that Los Angeles wanted to add some depth to that they still haven’t had a chance to address yet is backup center. Yes, they signed Jaxson Hayes. But he is 6′ 11″ on a generous measure.

There’s a reason chatter has persisted about possibly adding Tristan Thompson despite the Hayes signing. The team still needs more big man depth. Marjanovic could be an ideal fit in L.A.

Plus, he is a burgeoning actor fresh off appearances in John Wick, Hustle and Self Reliance. Where better to develop as a thespian than Hollywood?

It works any way you want to look at it.

One way or another, Marjanovic will be playing somewhere come the beginning of next season. Will that “somewhere” be Houston or Los Angeles? Time will tell.

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Jennifer Withers Hoey

Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
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