Baskonia Working on Signing Rolands Šmits

Kosner Baskonia continues searching for an interior reinforcement and has found a familiar name in the Liga Endesa. According to Cadena SER Vitoria, the club is working on the incorporation of Rolands Šmits, a 31-year-old Latvian power forward who recently parted ways with Ningbo Rockets from the Chinese league. Injuries to Marcio Santos, Tadas Sedekerskis, and Rodions Kurucs have left head coach Velimir Perasović with a thin rotation of big men.

A profile that fits the roster slots
Šmits has added value for Baskonia: he counts as a homegrown player. He arrived in Spain at age 17 for Fuenlabrada's academy, developed through loans to Óbila and Getafe, and in 2017 was named EuroCup Rising Star and selected to the Liga Endesa All-Young Team. For this reason, he would not occupy a non-EU or foreign roster spot, one of the major complications for the Vitoria club with their squad.

Third option on the market
Baskonia already attempted to reinforce their interior game in recent weeks. Lleida refused to let Zach Perrin leave before January, and Maccabi did not accept the offer for Roman Sorkin. Šmits is a more accessible option: he is a free agent after a brief stint in the CBA, where he averaged 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.

A long EuroLeague career
Šmits knows the EuroLeague well. After his time at Fuenlabrada, he spent four seasons at FC Barcelona (2018-22), where he won the Liga Endesa title in 2021 and three Copa del Rey titles. He then played two years at Žalgiris, where he won the Lithuanian league in 2023, and another two at Anadolu Efes. There, last season, he played 35 EuroLeague games, 12 as a starter, averaging 6.7 points and 3.1 rebounds.