By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Seeking reinforcement, Cazoo Baskonia is set to acquire Max Heidegger from Yukatel Merkezefendi.
The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague participant will pay a buyout of 120,000 euros, per Eurohoops sources. The deal is expected to be completed over the weekend.
Heidegger, 25, emerged among the leading players for the team based in Denizli in the 2022-23 edition of Turkey’s BSL. Averaging 19.4 points, 6.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per contest over 15 appearances lifted his side to a 7-9 W-L tally, currently two wins safe from the relegation zone.
The former UC Santa Barbara standout gets an upgrade to EuroLeague. Previous experience in European club continental competitions comes with four appearances in the Basketball Champions League during the 2021-22 spell at EWE Baskets Oldenburg. He actually turned pro at EuroLeague regular Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv but was loaned to Bnei Herzliya for the 2020-21 season, his first out of the Gauchos.
Besides shifting from Israel to Germany, Turkey, and now Spain at the club level, the Los Angeles-born point guard represented Israel by logging one game played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers in last February’s international window.
Max Heidegger to EuroLeague and ACB
Baskonia recently suspended Pierria Henry but was already looking for a suitable replacement as head coach Joan Penarroya and the players under his guidance navigate the demanding schedules of EuroLeague and Spain’s Liga Endesa. Enter Heidegger as an intriguing addition determined to display his talents at the highest levels of European basketball.
Sitting at 11-9, the Vitoria-Gasteiz outfit is in the mix for a berth in the EuroLeague Playoffs, after four losses in a row knocked it from the top of the standings. The 13-4 record in the ACB is one game shy of co-leaders Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Photo Credit: Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi Twitter