By Antonis Stroggylakis / AStroggylakis@eurohoops.net
Forward/center Zach LeDay is becoming a free agent since Olimpia Milano is terminating his contract in order to clear some space for Nicolo Melli’s arrival. According to Eurohoops sources, several EuroLeague clubs have already inquired about LeDay, providing him with a list of options he’s currently navigating through and will be narrowing down this week.
Last season LeDay was a key and sometimes decisive contributor for Milano in the team’s run towards its first EuroLeague Final Four appearance in 29 years. This was one of the reasons why his upcoming exit from the Italian powerhouse made some noise in the European basketball field.
Multiple sources told Eurohoops that the news came as a big surprise to many EuroLeague clubs. Some of them quickly began pursuing the 27-year-old big man who becomes unexpectedly available since his contract with Milano ran through 2022.
Teams look at LeDay as a big man who can provide them with a flexible frontline option thanks to a multiskilled offensive package that also includes shooting from range (he had a rather efficient 46.6 percent on 73 3-point attempts last season).
LeDay averaged 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds in 24:41 minutes over 36 games in the 2020-21 EuroLeague. He had his most memorable moment in Game 1 of the playoffs against Bayern Munich when he posted team-highs 17 points plus seven rebounds while scoring the winning basket at the buzzer to prevent a major upset for Milano.
In Italy, LeDay had 15.8 points plus 6.2 rebounds in the regular season, along with 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in the playoffs.
UPDATE: Olimpia Milano announced the departure of LeDay as of Tuesday morning.