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Before becoming an NBA superstar, Luka Doncic spent three full seasons experiencing the intensity of EuroLeague basketball with Real Madrid. Trips to Belgrade, Athens and Barcelona provided some of the loudest and most hostile environments of his career in Europe. Crvena Zvezda immediately came to mind when he was asked by SLAM to identify the most intimidating crowd he had faced, although his lifelong affection for the Serbian club made his visits there feel different. “I would probably say Red Star, but not for me. They liked me there, so not for me,” Doncic said.
Smith is expected to handle lead-guard responsibilities for Real Madrid, giving him an opportunity to play a much larger role for the EuroLeague club where Luka Doncic developed before entering the NBA. Smith celebrated the signing by posting a photo in his new uniform on Instagram, prompting several Lakers players to respond. Bronny James was among the first to congratulate him. “Damn thats fire bro be great!!!” James commented on Smith’s post. Adou Thiero offered his support as well, writing, “Get to it brudda,” while Jake LaRavia added, “Yea nick.”
Michael Scotto: Free agent guard Nick Smith Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with Real Madrid, agents Lucas Newton and Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports told @hoopshype . He averaged 7.6 points in 17.5 minutes during three NBA seasons with the Hornets and Lakers. He’ll be Real Madrid’s lead guard.
Chema de Lucas: ÚLTIMA HORA: Nick Smith Jr. (1.88 m.; 22 a.), a punto de fichar por el Real Madrid. Número 27 del Draft de 2023, ha pasado por Hornets y Lakers. BREAKING: Nick Smith Jr. (1.88 m.; 22 y.o.) is close to a deal with Real Madrid.
Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Damian Jones for the American center to join the Spanish giants through the end of the 2026-27 season, the club announced. Jones arrives in Madrid with significant NBA experience, having played 293 games in the league during a career that has included spells with the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Spanish prospect Izan Almansa is working toward a move to the NCAA following his departure from Real Madrid. Almansa officially parted ways with the Spanish powerhouse on Thursday, clearing the path for an expected move to college basketball. The 21-year-old, 2.08-meter big man committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in May.
Cheme de Lucas: Given the complexity involved in separating Walker from Maccabi, with two more years on his contract, another name that Real Madrid has shown interest in is Lester Quiñones (25 years old; 1.93 m.). Additionally, the former Warriors, Pelicans, and Sixers player does not take up a non-EU spot (Dominican).
Real Madrid have officially announced the signing of Olivier Sarr, confirming that the French center has agreed to a two-year contract running through the end of the 2027-28 campaign. The 2.08-meter, 27-year-old big man arrives from the Cleveland Cavaliers and provides Madrid with additional size, mobility, rim protection and perimeter shooting following Garuba’s serious Achilles injury.
Real Madrid are back on the move in the transfer market and, after signing Jaime Pradilla, Mikael Jantunen, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Max Shulga, have reportedly renewed their interest in Lester Quiñones. According to Marca, the 25-year-old Dominican guard could be the player chosen to complete the backcourt after Real Madrid missed out on Armoni Brooks and Lonnie Walker IV.
Real Madrid have officially announced the signing of Ukrainian guard Max Shulga, bringing the former Boston Celtics player back to Europe ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Spanish powerhouse confirmed that Shulga has agreed to a two-year contract that will keep him in Madrid through the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
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Mario Hezonja: But the moment I thought would never come has arrived: leaving Real Madrid, leaving my home. This decision doesn't stem from a lack of your affection or a lack of desire to keep fighting for this badge, but from circumstances that have led me to take a different path. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for how you've treated me from day one. I have always tried to repay that affection by being as close to you as possible: before, during, and after matches, at the Foundation, around the city, and above all, on the court, giving my all on every possession to help the team win. And it is precisely there where I have felt your support the most: in good times and bad! Now I continue my journey with the same enthusiasm and ambition with which I arrived. You already know me. I hope our paths cross again someday. I wish you all the best. I will always follow the team closely. THANK YOU! HALA MADRID AND NOTHING ELSE! I would also like to thank President Florentino Pérez and everyone who works at the club for these wonderful years. I also want to thank Alberto Herreros and Rudy Fernández for their professionalism, for the kind words they have always spoken about me, both privately and publicly, and for the image of support they have always projected.
Although the deal has not yet been made official, sources tell cleveland.com that the Cavaliers are working through the proper steps to get Hezonja released from his Real Madrid pact and there is no concern about the agreed-to deal being in jeopardy. Cleveland’s expectation is Hezonja will be in the team’s every-night rotation, providing much-needed frontcourt depth after the team lost versatile forward Dean Wade to the Sixers in free agency.
His contradictions, his comings and goings, are as numerous as the journalists he's stuck with at X. The same journalists with whom he forces jokes and empathy at the slightest opportunity. "He's not a bad guy," say those who have been around him these past years on a team where, nevertheless, he leaves a sense of relief. Not enemies, but a caring teammate with a few anonymous gestures that compensated for his verbal excesses and some bad behavior, his mood swings and his egocentrism. Curiously, he will also be a relief, in sporting terms, for Pedro Martínez and his frenetic basketball system: the Croatian's talent doesn't exactly operate at the thousand revolutions per minute that the Catalan coach demands. And adapting him, as he will have to do with Tavares , will not be an easy task. Beyond the personalities of both players and the 'welcome' he gave him when Scariolo 's departure was announced .
One of the most bizarre episodes of this whole saga that has been Hezonja's four seasons in white lies in how Madrid convinced him to renew. That June day, at the Filandón restaurant, the player was having lunch with some of the club's board members. They were trying to make him understand the tax issues hidden in Barça's offer in order to propose something better. Right in the middle of the meal, the police burst into the restaurant. A shooting had occurred on the nearby Pardo road (in which Begoña Villacís 's brother was killed ), and police were searching for the fugitives, so no one could leave the premises for quite some time. During this time, both parties finalized the extension of a contract that, ultimately, will not be honored.