July 1, 2016
ANALYSIS
All of Karasev's comments heading into the offseason suggested he had ruled out a return to the Nets and was disenchanted with the idea of sticking around in the NBA in any capacity, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that he'll head to his native Russia. In signing with Zenit, Karasev will have the opportunity to play under his father, Vasily, a former point guard for the Russian national team who is regarded as a basketball icon in the country. Karasev is just 22 years old, and while a return to North America can't be ruled out at some point down the road for a player that young, his familial ties to Zenit might make it more difficult than normal for an NBA team to lure him back over.