By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With the NBA knocking on the door, Nigel Hayes-Davis instead committed his future to Fenerbahce Beko.
Hayes-Davis, 29, extended his contract until the end of the 2026-27 season. The announcement followed a report by Eurohoops’ Bugra Uzar about the two sides nearing a deal on a long-term contract, earlier Thursday.
A huge boost for Fener, heading to the 2024-25 installment of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and domestic competitions in Turkiye.
Per Eurohoops sources, the annual net salary of the player is nearly $2,2M, making him one of the most well-paid players in Europe for a total of $6,6M for the next three years.
The Phoenix Suns were among the NBA teams considering the EuroLeague star, detailed Eurohoops’ Aris Barkas.
However, returning to the league based in North America was distanced by the determination of the Turkish club to retain Hayes-Davis. Back in the 2017-18 Regular Season, the explosive forward played in nine NBA games with the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, and Sacramento Kings.
In the 2023-24 edition of the EuroLeague, Hayes-Davis tallied 13.8 points per game, including 50 points in a win against ALBA Berlin, a new record for the most points in a single game of the league. In his fifth expedition in Europe’s premier club continental competition, he also put in 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest en route to the All-EuroLeague First Team. His side ranked sixth in the Regular Season and overcame the homecourt advantage of third-seeded AS Monaco in the Playoffs to reach the Final Four, before settling for fourth place in Berlin.
At the domestic level, Fener won the ING Turkiye Kupasi in February and doubled up with the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi championship at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Hayes-Davis was named Finals MVP. The former Wisconsin standout averaged 14.3 points per BSL game.
Early offseason moves of Fenerbahce secured the services of Bonzie Colson, Erten Gazi, Devon Hall, and Nicolo Melli. Tarik Biberovic, Marko Guduric, Giorgos Papagiannis, Dyshawn Pierre, Sertac Sanli, Scottie Wilbekin, and Arturs Zagars are among further players under contract for the team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius.