Basket rumors

According to Encestando, Walter Tavares has already signed a new five-year contract with Real Madrid.

The center will stay in Madrid basically until the end of his career.

The Blancos will still have to go back on the market for a center to replace Vincent Poirier, who is headed to Anadolu Efes.

Real Madrid will also lose young center Ismaila Diagne, who is reportedly moving to Gonzaga.

Chris Jones is leaving Valencia, with Fenerbahce topping the list of suitors.

The playmaker has a €300,000 clause to leave his contract with the Spaniards, which expires in 2026.

It is therefore credible that this is the Turks’ plan B after Lorenzo Brown, for which Real Madrid is the big favourite, even after the ventilated agreement with Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

According to rumours, there is also interest in Chris Jones from Baskonia, Partizan and Virtus Bologna.

Ojito a esto.

300k de cláusula. Valencia ya asume que se va a ir.

Fenerbahçe principal favorito.

El Real Madrid aprieta por Lorenzo Brown y sigue siendo la opción favorita del jugador, con el que ya hay un acuerdo como os dije. https://t.co/Aa2XhpvcE1

— Gerard Solé (@gsole14) May 27, 2024

Usman Garuba has decided to leave the NBA to return to Real Madrid, according to Eurohoops sources.

The 22-year-old, who grew up in the Spanish club’s youth academy, had left the team in 2021 to play in the NBA, playing 105 games between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.

Despite the lingering interest from the NBA, Garuba, who finished the season in the G-League, could become a key element in Real Madrid’s future, effectively replacing Frenchman Vincent Poirier.

Valencia have now reached an agreement with Jean Montero, according to Chema de Lucas.

The contract would be a three-year one, with pay rising: from 800,000 euros in the first year to 1.5 in the third season.

ÚLTIMA HORA: El acuerdo entre Jean Montero y Valencia Basket es por tres temporadas.

Deal between Jean Montero and Valencia Basket is a three-year. @Urbodo first to report about close to sign it.

800k. – 900 k. – 1,5 k. are the numbers of the deal.

— Chema de Lucas (@chemadelucas) May 25, 2024

Valencia Basket and Jean Montero have not yet reached a financial agreement, while five EuroLeague teams show interest in the player. Montero and his agent have requested a salary increase, causing a halt in negotiations. Valencia suspects that offers from EuroLeague teams have influenced this request. The interested teams include Fenerbahce, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Baskonia, and Armani Milano. Bayern Munich, in particular, sees Montero as an ideal replacement for Sylvain Francisco, who is moving to Zalgiris.

Source: Encestando

During a press conference before leaving for Berlin, Mario Hezonja also discussed his plans for the upcoming season.

(via AS)

“My future? I have no idea. – Real Madrid president Florentino Perez ‘threatens’ me every time he sees me in the dining room, he says that I must stay here. Hopefully. We are all working to make it happen.”

The Croatian forward expressed his desire is to reach an agreement to stay in Madrid and be part of “one of the best teams in history.”

A few months ago I said, I think it was in January, that this team has the potential to be the best in the history of the Euroleague and I really think so. A lot will depend on the people at the top (the managers), but with the players we have, we can reach that level. This team is starting to live its best moments in history, my teammates are on the same page and want to reach that, that is very important. Before there were clubs like Varese, who won a lot, but I think this team can reach that level and even go further and do things they have not seen so far, but we must go day by day, game by game. A lot of this, about the team, is going to be decided in the summer”.

The Croatian forward is one of the most coveted players on the Euroleague market, but these remarks provide hope for Blancos supporters.

Hezonja averaged 13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes per game in Euroleague , shooting 48 percent from the field, a remarkable 45 percent from three and 92 percent from the foul line.