Photo AlessiaDoniselli / Ciamillo-Castoria
In the last episode of our Basketmarket podcast hosted by Orazio Cauchi, we talked about all the latest news and most important rumours regarding the European market of the current and next season. Maccabi Tel Aviv The Euroleague transfer market continues to heat up: after the signings of Walker and Dowtin, Uros Trifunovic is also on the way. Below are all the details, explained in this excerpt from the episode.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is perhaps the most active team on the Euroleague transfer market in recent days. The Israelis have officially announced their two signings: Lonnie Walker, who returns to Europe after last season’s stint at Zalgiris, and Jeff Dowtin. Both have signed three-year contracts, with possible NBA exits. With the arrival of Lonnie Walker and Jeff Dowtin, Maccabi Tel Aviv now boasts three players who played for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. Oshae Brissett, Jeff Dowtin, and Lonnie Walker all played for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. This will essentially create a small community of former Philadelphia 76ers players in Israel.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is also expected to announce the arrival of Serbian winger Uros Trifunovic in the coming days. The former Partizan Belgrade player left Partizan last season, when Partizan decided to completely overhaul its roster, and joined Tofas Bursa in Turkey, where he also played in the Basketball Champions League. Trifunovic had a solid season in Turkey, but is now ready to return to the Euroleague. The Serbian player and his agency have reached a substantially full agreement with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and now all that’s missing is the official announcement.
Maccabi will inevitably focus on the long-term, as they still need to add a high-caliber center to the roster. They’re looking primarily at the NBA and G League markets, although the possibility of some European options can’t be ruled out.