Rolands Smits Close to Signing with Chinese Club, Fading from ACB Market

Another name disappears from the Spanish basketball market. Rolands Smits is close to signing with the Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese league, according to Turkish journalist Ferhat Yesiltas, ending a summer of waiting since Anadolu Efes and the Latvian power forward parted ways.

If the deal is confirmed, one of the most frequently mentioned options on the ACB market in August will be off the board. Smits' name has circulated this summer for Valencia Basket, Barcelona, and Baskonia, always in the same context: a proven power forward with a history in the league and available without a transfer fee. None of the three clubs moved quickly enough.

A familiar face in Liga Endesa

At 31 years old, Smits needs no introduction to Spanish basketball fans. Developed at Fuenlabrada, he made the jump to Barcelona in 2018 and spent five seasons at the Palau, winning two Copa del Rey titles and the 2021 Liga Endesa championship, plus the EuroLeague final lost in 2021. From there he moved to Zalgiris and then to Anadolu Efes, where he has played the last two seasons in a diminishing role.

His profile was always the same: a serious, team-oriented big man, capable of spacing the floor and defending both frontcourt positions without demanding the spotlight. Exactly the type of piece contenders look for in August, and precisely why his move to China, if it closes, will say as much about the player as it does about the market: in Europe, no one managed to put an offer on the table that matched his level.

For the three Spanish clubs that had him on their radar, the message is clear: the power forward market is one name shorter, with David McCormack remaining the proven candidate still on the agendas of Vitoria and Málaga.