The Utah Jazz brought Georges Niang back this summer, and for more reasons than just to acquire free assets. However, it appears that making the move got in the way of some of his other plans. Among said plans were his intentions to play in AfroBasket.
Marc Stein reported that Niang had everything lined up to play for the country of which his family is from, but being traded twice got in the way.
"League sources say that Senegal nearly had Georges Niang on its roster for the tournament now that Niang has secured a Senegalese passport, but he was ultimately unavailable to play international ball this summer after being traded twice. The 32-year-old was recently reacquired by Utah from Boston after initially featuring in the three-way trade that sent Kristaps Porziņģis from the Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks."
Niang wasn't born or raised in Senegal (he's a Massachusetts native), but his father was born and raised there. Niang himself has never played for their national basketball team, so to some degree, it's a shame that he didn't get the chance. However, he likely will get another one just as long as history doesn't repeat itself going forward.
Utah likely didn't do this to Niang on purpose. They simply wanted to bring back both a good locker room guy and a familiar face to their youth movement. Hopefully, he isn't too angry about not being able to play for his country. This sadly comes with the territory of being an NBA player.
Jazz fans can check up on players in the EuroBasket
While Niang won't be able to play in AfroBasket, some of the Jazz players get to play in EuroBasket over the next few weeks. Lauri Markkanen has already left quite an impression during the Friendlies. Jusuf Nurkic, not so much, but hey, a Jazzman is a Jazzman through and through.
Fans can perhaps get a sneak preview of what to expect from them this coming season. Markkanen wants to prove that last season should breed any cause for concern while Nurkic wants to stay in the NBA. Their EuroBasket performances could be indicative of what they have to show this coming season.
It is a shame that they won't get the same from Niang, as he will enter a contract year with the Jazz. However, it's not like there's much mystery to what he can do on the basketball court. Preseason's only a month away give or take, but that could be one long month...