What if Frank Ntilikina returned to Europe? After four generally disappointing seasons with the New York Knicks, the French leader still does not have a contract, and would be one of the players of interest to Virtus Bologna. In any case, this is what two Italian newspapers revealed, The Gazzetta dello Sport and The Republic, this week-end. The transalpine club, crowned Italian champion this year twenty years after its last title, will indeed be deprived for at least seven weeks of Nico Mannion, the 20-year-old Italian international leader drafted in 2020 by Golden State., where he played 30 games before signing this summer for two seasons with Bologna. But the player was hit by an intestinal virus during the Tokyo Olympics (where Italy was eliminated in the quarterfinals by France) and lost a lot of weight as shown in a photo published on Monday.

Frank Ntilikina, Olympic vice-champion with the Blues, would therefore be part of the options to replace him, even if he is not the priority for the moment. While he is not in contact with any NBA team a few weeks before the resumption of training camps, the former leader of Strasbourg could be tempted to cross the Atlantic again, four years after his departure where he was promised mountains and wonders. Drafted in seventh position for the Knicks, he never managed to settle permanently within the New York franchise, where he was not helped by the ambient instability, with many changes of coaches.

In total, the French played 211 regular season games for the Knicks, including 55 as a starter, and averaged 5.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2 rebounds in 18 minutes. He has only played three play-offs this season, for only 3’30 games in total, and 0 points. His points record will remain at 20, in March 2020 just before the covid break, in a loss to Washington. Unsurprisingly, the Knicks did not want to go beyond his rookie contract, and the native of Ixelles, Belgium, is still in the market, while most of the workforce is closed in the United States and Europe. .