At 30 years old, European basketball icon Milos Teodosic was able to live his NBA dreams after the Los Angeles Clippers inked him to a two-year deal in the 2017-18 offseason. However, he didn't get to finish out his contract after the Clippers released him in the middle of his second year in the league.
Teodosic appeared on a recent episode of the "X&O's Chat" podcast and detailed how he didn't even understand that his stint with the organization would end in the middle of the 2018-19 campaign.
"Doc Rivers and Lawrence Frank called me first to tell me that I'm out of contract," Milos said . "They explained how it was a great thing. I hung up the phone and started asking around what it means to be 'waived.' I call people. I ask them what it is, then someone explained that it means that if some team matches the offer, I have to go there."
A short-lived Clips tenure
When the Clippers brought in Teodosic, they probably hoped that the Serbian could fill in the playmaking void caused by trading Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets in the 2017 offseason.
To be fair to the franchise, the Serbian was one of the best floor generals in the EuroLeague. He led the competition in assists twice and was a showman in a similar vein to his predecessor as the Clippers starting point guard.
Unfortunately, injuries caused Teodosic to appear in just 45 games in his rookie year. He started in 36 of them and averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 assists per contest. Chemistry issues may have also contributed to his underwhelming performance and the squad's woeful standing.
The following season saw Milos become expendable as rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over as the starter, and other guards soaked up most of the backcourt minutes.
Related: Shaquille O'Neal says he was the first guy to break Pat Riley's ways: "I went in his office with a check for $41,000"
Lost in translation
Instead of holding onto Teodosic, the Clippers decided it was better to release him in February, presumably to open up a roster spot for their trade deadline moves. It's unclear how Rivers and Frank conveyed the news, though, as Milos needed to ask other people what the front office had just told him.
However, the former EuroLeague MVP had no plans of joining a different organization that may have wanted to pick up from the waivers.
At the time, he told the media that he would rather go back to Europe and resume his basketball career there. But in the interview earlier this week, Teodosic revealed that his wife was pregnant then, so relocating to a different city wasn't an option. So, he told his agent to inform possible suitors that he had planned to retire.
Of course, the Serb playmaker didn't hang up his shoes. He continues to play to this day, suiting up for KK Crvena Zvezda, his favorite team growing up.
Related: "I didn't follow the NBA much" - Milos Teodosic needed a week to learn his teammates' names
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