There hasn’t been much news about forgotten Boston Celtics draft-and-stash players Yam Madar and Juhann Begarin in some time.
But an update on Madar and Begarin’s playing situation came through Thursday.
The two don’t appear any closer to playing for the Celtics — even in the G League — as they will continue playing overseas next season. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, Madar will play for Bayern Basketball in Germany after suiting up for Fenerbache of the Turkish League and EuroLeague last season. Begarin has a new team, too, with him moving on to AS Monaco following a stint with Nanterre 92.
Madar and Begarin were both late second-round picks of the Celtics in 2020 and 2021, respectively. They both have played exclusively overseas aside from each making a Summer League appearance — Begarin played in the Summer League twice while Madar just once.
The two guards will remain under Celtics control going forward, but that can change in a couple of ways, which Smith explained in detail.
“NBA teams retain draft rights forever,” Smith wrote. “In order to keep those draft rights, they have to issue the player a required contract tender each year. That tender is, at a minimum, a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the league minimum. If a player really wants free, he can sign that tender and force the team’s hand to keep him or waive him.
“Most players are content to just wait the process out and see if an NBA chance ever comes their way. Every once and a while, someone signs the tender to get themselves on a roster or to free up their NBA rights. Teams will sometimes simply renounce draft rights to make a player an NBA free agent.”
Madar, who stands at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, showed potential when he earned the EuroLeague’s Rising Star award while playing for Partizan Belgrade during the 2022-23 season. But Madar didn’t exactly take the leap some might have expected this season. The 23-year-old averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 28 games in the EuroLeague, which is considered the top league in Europe.
Begarin, who turns 22 next month, saw his production decrease, too, while playing in France’s best league. After scoring just over 11 points per game the past two seasons, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Frenchman dropped down to 7.5 points per game with three rebounds and 1.5 assists. He also shot a horrific 25.3% from 3-point range.
It doesn’t feel like Madar and Begarin’s situation with the Celtics will change much in the years to come with Boston lined up to keep on competing for NBA titles.
