Valencia Basket starts again from one certainty: the project will not change. Pedro Martinez’s departure, with the coach set to join Real Madrid after the payment of his release clause, caught the club by surprise, but it does not alter its strategic direction.
The Valencian club will continue to grow according to its own model: infrastructure, youth development, organization, and financial sustainability. Next season’s budget will be higher, also with the €50 million negotiation to remain in the EuroLeague in mind, but without entering an uncontrolled spending race.
The “Pedro Martinez case” perfectly reflects the gap between Valencia and Europe’s major powers. The club had already submitted a renewal offer before the decisive stage of the season, but Real Madrid gave the coach the chance to immediately compete for the EuroLeague title. It was a sporting choice more than an economic one, and Valencia could do little about it.
The same logic applies to the player market. Valencia tried to move early on key profiles such as Pradilla, Badio, Montero and others, presenting significant offers during the season. But the club does not intend to promise what it cannot guarantee, nor compete with organizations capable of raising contracts without limits.
Tax factors also weigh heavily: offering the same net salary in Valencia can cost far more than in other places, even within Spain. And against clubs such as Dubai or Panathinaikos, ready to push offers to very high figures, competition becomes almost impossible.
It is worth remembering that from the team that won the ACB and the Supercopa, and secured a place in the EuroLeague Final Four, Pedro Martinez is heading to Real Madrid, which is also pursuing Jaime Pradilla; Jean Montero is bound for Olympiacos; Braxton Key is being courted by Fenerbahce and Brancou Badio by Panathinaikos; Sergio De Larrea is ready to make the jump to the NBA; and Darius Thompson will join Olimpia Milano.
The line therefore remains clear: build competitive men’s and women’s rosters, try to retain the players considered central to the project, and continue to grow around the Roig Arena. Even without Pedro Martinez, Valencia Basket wants to remain faithful to its identity.
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