Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo was on a scouting trip to Italy to check out a few prospects according to Sportando.
Colangelo was said to talk to three players from Virtus, a club in Rome. Among the trio was former Georgia Tech star Gani Lawal, Jordan Taylor who played at Wisconsin and team captain Gigi Datome.
Datome, who has averaged 17.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg this season, appears to be the main reason for Colangelo’s trip abroad. He has one year remaining on his current contract but it sounds liek a buyout could be arranged if need be.
“It has been great to see Datome practicing and verify his leadership and his positive influence on the team. He has been working hard and he’s playing with so much confidence,” Colangelo told Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport. “He has certainly caught the attention of NBA scouts and he has already expressed his desire to play in the NBA. His biggest challenge will be to understand what may be the best role for him in USA: small forward or power forward. He should get the most out of this experience if he will be able to live it. Anyway, the athleticism and shot from outside are his greatest strengths.”
Datom appears to be making waves as Sportando reports that Bucks general manager John Hammond was also in Rome recently to scout the Italian forward.
