Vsevolod Ishchenko Is Rumored To Be Staying Overseas For The 2026-27 Season

Vsevolod Ishchenko was the #56 pick in the NBA Draft this past June, selected by the Chicago Bulls. In rapid succession, his rights moved to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash considerations, then on to the Dallas Mavericks, also for cash considerations.

With Dallas, Ishchenko came stateside to play in the Summer League where he logged time across five games, averaging 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. With that, he also averaged 3.4 turnovers per game. His numbers – especially when considering he is a 21-year-old who joined a team of strangers in a foreign country for two weeks – were generally solid. However, the high turnover rate spoke to his adjustment to the NBA game, both in terms of size and speed. He certainly showed flashes and it’s reasonable to think he could develop into a rotation player in the future, but it is difficult to argue that he could use some more seasoning.

In respect of that seasoning, he was highly unlikely to get enough of it in Dallas this coming season. To that end, rumors now suggest he will be heading back overseas to play for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League in Russia. “Loko” is the same team he played for up until draft night, so this is a return home for him (literally and figuratively). As a result of the move, Dallas gets to stash him overseas to get more reps and playing time than he would at the NBA level, allowing him to develop further before potentially bringing him back at some point in the future.

The Mavericks tighten up their roster a bit with the move as well, getting down to a more manageable number required for the start of the upcoming season. Of course, more moves could be on the way, but for now Dallas managed their roster without pulling the trigger on a trade.  

As you can imagine, there is not yet an overabundance of news on a transaction like this, so we will continue to keep you posted with updates as they come. For now, feel free to comment below or join the ongoing conversation in the Feed.

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