It was announced on Tuesday that 2022 Golden State Warriors champion Nemanja Bjelica has signed with BC Crvena zvezda, a basketball club in Belgrade, Serbia. Bjelica has spent with with BC Crvena zvezda before, and will be returning to his former club on a new contract.
Bjelica appeared in 71 regular season games for the Warriors during the 2021-22 season, and 15 postseason games. This was Bjelica’s last stop in the NBA, and it was a good one. Winning the title with Golden State that season, Bjelica will return to his former Serbian club as an NBA champion.
In his seven NBA seasons, Bjelica spent time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat, and of course the Golden State Warriors. While Bjelica is not the player he was at the peak of his career when he averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.4 RPG for the Kings in 2020, his contributions for Golden State during their title run cannot go unnoticed.
Averaging 6.1 PPG for Golden State in 2022, Bjelica had his ups and downs, but serving as a connector and floor spacer off the bench, the veteran forward was a trusted option for Steve Kerr that season. The Warriors have struggled to find a similar fit on their roster since Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr. left, as that floor spacing veteran big/wing is not always available.
