Nico Mannion is headed to Italy

Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty ImagesYou’re not going to watch Nico Mannion play basketball this year, unless you’re a fan of international hoops. The Golden State Warriors 20-year old point guard, who was the No. 48 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is signing a deal with Virtus Bologna in Italy’s Serie A, the top professional basketball league in Italy.

Because the Warriors extended the qualifying offer to Mannion, they will retain his rights. Whenever he decides to return to the NBA, he will be a restricted free agent, and the Warriors can match any contract extended to him.

The Warriors will still maintain Nico Mannion’s restricted free agency rights if/when he returns to the NBA. But…