Olympiacos Sign John Konchar as Tyler Dorsey Is Benched for a Month

By Taki Panos

Some clubs spread their big news across a week. Olympiacos did it in about four minutes. On Thursday, October 22, 2026, the EuroLeague champions announced the signing of NBA veteran John Konchar on a two-year contract, and almost in the same breath confirmed that Tyler Dorsey, the Greek-American guard, will stay away from all team obligations for one month because of a disciplinary breach, as Gazzetta and Sport24 reported. One door opened, another one closed, at least for now.

For anyone catching up, the Dorsey story started last week. After comments on social media about his shrinking role and his contract, Dorsey was left out of the trip to Barcelona and sent back to Athens, per Eurohoops. Olympiacos then won 105-100 in overtime without him. Sport24 noted that the decision came only after plenty of thought and several days of letting things settle.

What set it off was a debate on the Triple Threat Show. One panelist argued Dorsey could be replaced, and another said Olympiacos should reward him for his part in last season's EuroLeague title, Sport24 recalled. Dorsey responded by asking why the club would not simply let him go if it did not want to pay him what he was asking, and said his minutes had dropped out of nowhere (translated from Greek, per Sport24). Eurohoops described the same comments about his role and his new contract. Strong words. Clubs rarely let that slide.

The official line was short. The club said Dorsey "will remain out of the team's competitive obligations for one month due to a disciplinary offense" (translated from Greek), a statement carried by both Sport24 and Gazzetta. Gazzetta reported that the presidents, Giorgos and Panagiotis Angelopoulos, made the call together with head coach Georgios Bartzokas. Sport24 added that Dorsey will not play during the ban but will keep training on his own, separately from his teammates.

The timing is laid out clearly. According to Gazzetta, the punishment has been in effect since October 15, the day before the Barcelona game, and runs until November 15, when Olympiacos visit Aris at the Alexandreio in Thessaloniki. Sport24 says Dorsey should be available again from that game, which is round 7 of the Greek Basket League. Gazzetta also reported that Dorsey had posted a story from the Peace and Friendship Stadium a few hours earlier, where he was training while he waited for the verdict.

The bill is eight more games, five in the EuroLeague and three in the Greek league, per Sport24 and Gazzetta. On the European side he misses Fenerbahce at home on Friday, October 23, the trip to Besiktas on October 28, Armani Milan on October 30, Red Star on November 6 and Dubai on November 12. At home in Greece he sits out the visit to Promitheas on October 25, Peristeri on November 1 and Maroussi on November 8. Add the Barcelona and Vikos games he already missed. That is a big chunk of the autumn.

Now to the new arrival. Konchar is 30 years old and 1.96 meters tall, and he went undrafted in 2019 before the Memphis Grizzlies gave him a two-way deal that had him splitting time with their G League team, according to Sport24 and Eurohoops. He spent most of his NBA career as a dependable role player in Memphis. Last season was the first time he left the Grizzlies, splitting the year between Memphis and the Utah Jazz.

The numbers tell you what kind of player he is. In 30 games for Memphis last season he averaged 3.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and one steal, and in 26 games for Utah he put up 5.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, three assists and two steals, per Gazzetta and Sport24. The Utah figure was his best scoring average in the NBA. Sport24 added that he signed with the New York Knicks in September but was released after about two weeks, which opened the door to Piraeus.

Why him? Gazzetta's reading is that Konchar is mainly a shooting guard who can also slide to small forward, a tall guard with a real taste for rebounding, an area where Olympiacos have shown some weaknesses, and a player known for his commitment on defense. His shooting is the soft spot, though on a good night he can still hurt a defense. The idea, Gazzetta said, was to give Bartzokas a helper at the two and three positions to support Evan Fournier and Tyson Ward.

Sport24 reported that the club actually sees him mostly as a small forward, where he joins Ward and Kostas Papanikolaou. The timing makes sense either way. Olympiacos are already without Fournier for around 20 days, and now Dorsey is out for a month. That is two experienced perimeter players gone from a rotation that plays twice a week, so a versatile, defense-first wing who knows how to play a small role is a practical fit rather than a luxury.

There is a numbers game too. Eurohoops pointed out that Konchar is the tenth foreign player on the roster. The EuroLeague has no limit, but in the Greek league only eight non-Greek players can be registered and only six can be used on game day. Dorsey, who won bronze with Greece at the last EuroBasket, counts as a local player domestically. Eurohoops added that it is still unclear whether he will return to the team once the month is up, now that Konchar has arrived.

My take: both moves can be true at once. Olympiacos needed bodies on the wing, and Konchar is a sensible, low-drama signing for a team that values defense and effort. The Dorsey part is harder. A month away is a firm message, but it also leaves the door open, and a Greek national team guard with a championship ring is not someone you replace easily, especially when a roster is juggling foreign player limits. My hope is that both sides use the month to cool down and talk.

Next up, Olympiacos host Fenerbahce on Friday, October 23, at 9:15 PM Greek time, then visit Promitheas on Sunday, per Gazzetta. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for how the Dorsey situation develops and for every Greek team in the EuroLeague this season. New face in, familiar face on hold. Never a quiet week in Piraeus.

Sources: Sport24, Gazzetta, Eurohoops.

Image: Olympiacos crest, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).