By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan Belgrade signed guard Kevin Punter to a two-year contract, the Serbian club announced. According to Eurohoops sources, Punter joined his new team on a three-million deal for the two years of his contract, which is the biggest deal ever in Serbian basketball.
He is returning to ABA League where he previously played in 2019-2020 with Crvena Zvezda, Partizan’s archrival.
Punter’s transfer is nothing short of a blockbuster acquisition that is a striking sign and sound evidence of Partizan’s huge ambitions. With coaching grandmaster Zeljko Obradovic taking over for the first time since 1993, the historic club is targeting its return to EuroLeague while aiming at both the EuroCup and ABA League titles.
At 28 years of age, Punter moves to Partizan after a standout season with Olimpia Milano. He led the Italian team in scoring with 14.3 points per game during the club’s first trip to the EuroLeague Final Four in 29 years and was also the leading scorer with 23 points in a semifinal loss to Barcelona.
Milano wanted to keep Punter on board and extended an offer to him that would greatly improve his salary, as Eurohoops has learned. Punter, who was looking to translate his 2020-21 run to a lucrative contract, ultimately decided to accept Partizan’s proposal and go back to Belgrade.