By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid has convinced Usman Garuba to leave the NBA and return to Europe, per Eurohoops sources, joining the EuroLeague finalists with a long-term contract.
The 22-year-old Garuba, a product of the junior teams of Real Madrid got drafted in 2021 and left the Spanish powerhouse for the NBA where in three years he played 105 games (99 with the Rockets and six with Golden State).
While there’s still interest for him from the NBA, Garuba who finished the season in the G-League affiliated team of the Golden State Warriors, can be a key for Madrid’s future in the front line, practically replacing French big man Vincent Poirier.
Poirier, as already reported, has received a hefty offer from Anadolu Efes, which Madrid can’t match. With his contract with the Spanish club expiring this season, the most probable scenario is for him to move to Istanbul.
Garuba not only knows the team and counts as a local passport for the domestic league, but also can complement Edy Tavares, also an expiring contract, who is – after much back and forth – expected to stay with the team with a new long-term contract, as he recently stated, expressing his “hope to stay with the team”.