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10 NBA Players Who Could Continue Their Careers In Europe After Being Waived
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- 10 NBA Players Who Could Continue Their Careers In Europe After Being Waived
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The NBA season officially started last night, and teams had to finalize their rosters before Opening Night , so we saw plenty of familiar names getting waived over the last few days, including former lottery picks, NBA champions, and veterans who've been around the league for more than a decade.
And while some of these guys will probably find another NBA contract in the next few days or weeks, I think a few should seriously consider going overseas instead of spending another season fighting for a roster spot. We've seen plenty of former NBA players have great careers in Europe, and there are some pretty good opportunities for guys who can still produce but can't find consistent minutes in the league anymore.
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Kevin Porter Jr. already had a successful run in Greece, Jeremy Sochan has strong European connections, and players like Chris Boucher and Dwight Powell have enough experience to help competitive EuroLeague teams immediately. So, with several interesting free agents still available, here are 10 recently waived NBA players who could realistically continue their careers in Europe this season.
1. Kevin Porter Jr.
I'm actually pretty shocked Kevin Porter Jr. got waived by the Bucks , because he was one of their most productive players last season, putting up 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 46.5% from the field. Sure, he only played 38 games because of injuries, but we're talking about a 26-year-old guard who was leading Milwaukee in assists and finished second on the team in scoring. That's some pretty good production for a guy who suddenly doesn't have an NBA contract.
The Bucks released him after adding Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Brayden Burries to a backcourt that already had Ryan Rollins on breakout watch . Porter was also owed $5.4 million after picking up his player option, so his exit was one of the biggest surprises of the final roster cuts. And remember, he was already putting up 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists with the Rockets back in 2022-23, so this isn't some random player who had one decent season.
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I'd actually love to see him return to Greece, where he was absolutely ridiculous with PAOK in 2024. He played six Greek League games and finished with 22.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.8 steals, including a triple-double against Panathinaikos. That's already proof he can produce at a high level overseas, and while I still expect NBA teams to consider signing him, he'd probably be one of the biggest offensive additions in European basketball if he decided to return.
2. Jeremy Sochan
Four years ago, Jeremy Sochan was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and now he's already been let go by three different teams in 2026. That's honestly a pretty brutal fall for someone who's still just 23, especially considering he made the All-Rookie Second Team and started 149 games across his four NBA seasons.
His best year came in 2023-24, when he put up 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 74 games with the Spurs. He followed that up with 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 2024-25, but things completely changed last season. Sochan dropped to 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 44 games between the Spurs and Knicks, and even though he ended up winning a championship with New York, he barely played during his time there.
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The Trail Blazers gave him another opportunity this preseason before waiving him on October 17, and I really think Europe could be a good alternative if another NBA contract doesn't come . Sochan already represents Poland internationally, spent part of his development in England, and has much more experience with European basketball than most American players his age. His career 28.6% from three is still a major problem, but a former top-10 pick with his rebounding and passing numbers could definitely mask that shooting overseas.
3. Chris Boucher
I don't know how long Chris Boucher will remain without an NBA team, especially after he was putting up 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in only 17.2 minutes with the Raptors in 2024-25. He also shot 49.2% from the field and 36.3% from three that season, and while he's definitely getting older, those numbers were pretty good for someone coming off the bench.
The decline came pretty fast, though. Boucher left the Raptors after seven seasons, joined the Celtics in 2025, and played just nine games before being traded to the Jazz and waived in February. His final numbers were only 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds on 32.0% shooting, which was easily his worst regular season since becoming an established NBA player. At 33, I can understand why teams might prefer younger options, although I wouldn't say he's finished just because of those nine games.
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We're still talking about an NBA champion who had a fantastic 2020-21 season with 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks, shooting 51.4% from the field and 38.3% from three. He even finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting that season, and I think a European team could get plenty out of a player who was still producing double-digit scoring numbers as recently as 2025. Of all the veteran big men available, Boucher would be pretty high on my list.
4. Dwight Powell
After almost 12 years with the Mavericks, Dwight Powell is looking for a new team, and I think this might be the right moment for him to leave the NBA. The Mavs waived him after bringing him back on a training camp deal, ending a pretty impressive run of 763 games with the franchise.
Powell was never a star, but he had some genuinely good years with the Mavericks, including a 2018-19 season with 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 59.7% from the field. He also started 71 games in 2021-22, helping the Mavericks reach the Western Conference Finals, and was part of their 2024 NBA Finals team. His career numbers of 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds aren't crazy, but lasting 12 seasons with basically one franchise is already a pretty good achievement for a second-round pick.
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Last season, Powell dropped to 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 63 games, although he still shot 64.4% from the field. I wouldn't expect him to suddenly become a dominant scorer overseas, but he's got extensive international experience with Canada, played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and could be a solid center for a competitive European team. At 35, I think that sounds much better than waiting months for another emergency NBA contract.
5. Haywood Highsmith
This one feels a little different because Haywood Highsmith was a pretty important rotation player for the Heat not that long ago, and his NBA career might've gone very differently without the injuries. He played 74 games in 2024-25, finishing with 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 38.2% from three, and he was getting almost 25 minutes per night.
Highsmith also appeared in 66 games during the 2023-24 season, when he shot 39.6% from three, and was part of the Heat team that reached the NBA Finals in 2023. Those are three seasons of legitimate NBA experience with a playoff organization, which is why I still think there's a decent player here even if he never became a high-volume scorer.
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Unfortunately, his time with the Suns was a disaster. He played only seven regular-season games in 2025-26, finishing with 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds, and the team let him go in the offseason. Highsmith is only 29, and I could see a EuroLeague team being interested in someone who's already played winning basketball and shot close to 40.0% from three in consecutive seasons. The main question is whether he's healthy to get back into that shooting rhythm.
6. Brandon Boston Jr.
Remember when Brandon Boston Jr. was supposed to be one of the better young scoring prospects coming out of Kentucky? Well, it's been five years since he entered the NBA as the 51st overall pick in 2021, and he's still trying to find a permanent home after spending three seasons with the Clippers and another with the Pelicans.
His best NBA stretch actually came with the Pelicans in 2024-25, when injuries opened up minutes, and he responded with 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in 42 games. He started 10 games, played 23.6 minutes per night, and shot 43.6% from the field and 35.0% from three. Those weren't Rising Star numbers or anything, but that's respectable production for a second-round pick who had barely played after three years.
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The Pelicans declined his $2.4 million team option in 2025, and after spending the following season outside the NBA, Boston joined the Bulls for training camp before getting waived on October 17. He's only 24, and honestly, I could see him putting up some strong scoring numbers in Europe if he gets a consistent role. His biggest issue has always been finding enough minutes to establish himself, and after 147 NBA appearances, maybe playing overseas would give him a better chance to build something.
7. Orlando Robinson
Orlando Robinson is another player who probably deserves more attention than he's getting, because his numbers whenever he's had some minutes have actually been pretty decent. He went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2022, signed with the Heat, and spent two seasons with them before bouncing between the Kings, Raptors, and Magic.
His best NBA stretch came with the Raptors in 2024-25, when he put up 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 35 games, shooting 44.7% from the field. That's solid production for a center playing just 20.4 minutes a night, and he also had 1.3 steals per game. Unfortunately, those numbers weren't enough to secure a long-term contract, and he appeared in only four games with the Magic last season before they released him in February.
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The G League numbers are probably a better reason to consider him for Europe. Robinson posted 17.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 10 regular-season games last year, shooting 50.0% from the field. The Bulls brought him in for training camp but waived him, leaving the 26-year-old without a roster spot again.
I could see Robinson taking the same route as former Heat big man Omer Yurtseven, who left the NBA for Panathinaikos and ended up playing EuroLeague basketball. And with the success he's had since, I think Robinson could do pretty well over there too.
8. Kevin Knox
At some point, Kevin Knox probably has to consider that the NBA just isn't giving him another proper chance, because he's been trying to get back into a rotation for years now. And it's pretty wild to remember that he was the ninth pick in the 2018 Draft, ahead of players like Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr.
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Knox had a decent rookie season with the Knicks, posting 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 75 games, but he shot only 37.0% from the field and never really improved enough to keep his starting role. His second season dropped to 6.4 points, and he eventually bounced around the Hawks, Pistons, Trail Blazers, and Warriors without finding a stable spot.
The weird part is that Knox has been excellent in the G League. Last season, he put up 22.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 26 games for Windy City, shooting 41.2% from three on more than seven attempts per game. Those are huge numbers, and his G League career scoring average is even higher at 23.3 points.
Still, the Magic gave him another shot in September and waived him on October 16, and honestly, I think Knox should just follow Cam Reddish's path . Reddish went to Lithuania last season and put up 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in nine games with Siauliai. So at this moment with Knox, I'd much rather see him give Europe a shot than keep waiting for another NBA contract.
9. Gary Harris
The Pistons acquired Gary Harris during the offseason and waived him on September 27, leaving the 32-year-old looking for another contract. I don't think he's thriving as a scorer again, but a veteran with his experience and shooting history could absolutely find a place in Europe.
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And unlike some younger players on this list, Harris has already made a substantial NBA career for himself, so I'd understand if he'd rather take a good opportunity overseas instead of spending another year fighting for the final roster spot.
I still remember when Harris was one of the better young shooting guards in the NBA in 2017-18, when he put up 17.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.8 steals with the Nuggets, shooting 48.5% from the field and 39.6% from three. He was only 23 at the time, and it looked like he'd be a long-term starter alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
That never really happened because injuries and declining production changed his career, although he still managed to play 666 regular-season NBA games between the Nuggets, Magic, and Bucks. His last season in Milwaukee was pretty quiet, with just 2.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 48 appearances, but he did shoot 41.2% from three in limited minutes.
10. John Konchar
One of the more underrated names here, John Konchar's never been much of a scorer, and people tend to forget how good some of his other numbers have been. He went undrafted in 2019, earned a regular role with the Grizzlies, and eventually signed a three-year, $18.5 million extension in 2022.
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And his time with the Jazz last season post-deadline was actually much better than his numbers suggest. In 26 games, he posted 5.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks and even recorded back-to-back triple-doubles in April. That's something you don't usually see from a player who barely scores six points per game.
At 30, he's got enough NBA experience to interest teams overseas, and I think his rebounding and defensive numbers give him a pretty strong case after being cut by the Knicks this summer. He might never be a top scorer in EuroLeague, but I wouldn't be surprised if he became an important player for a European team.
