Former lottery pick Dragan Bender signs in Spain

Former NBA lottery pick Dragan Bender will resume his playing career in Spain, signing a one-year contract with Obradoiro, the team announced Tuesday in a press release.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Bender spent his first three NBA seasons in Phoenix, then played for the Bucks and Warriors in 2019-20. In 187 career NBA regular-season appearances (20.1 MPG), the forward/center averaged 5.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 1.3 APG on .399/.323/.654 shooting.

Having failed to develop into a reliable rotation player in the NBA, Bender returned overseas in 2020, signing with Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. The 24-year-old tore his ACL during the 2021 playoffs and missed the entire 2021-22 season but appears poised to return to the court for the ’22-23 campaign.

“Dragan is a power forward who can form a pair with any of the inside players we already have on the team thanks to his size, versatility and outside shooting,” Obradoiro GM José Luis Mateo said in a statement. “He has just been a year without playing, but we are confident in his talent, work ethic, and enthusiasm to return to the highest level.”

Obradoiro, which competes in Spain’s top league (Liga ACB), also signed another former NBA player, point guard Marcus Paige, this offseason.