Although Lonnie Walker IV is technically still under contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, both he and the team are working together to part ways, writes Tomer Givati of Israel Hayoem (story in Hebrew).
Givati reports that Partizan Belgrade is considered the leading suitor for Walker, but Dubai Basketball and Real Madrid are interested in his services as well. All three teams (four including Maccabi) compete in the EuroLeague.
The 18th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Walker holds seven years of NBA experience, most recently finishing out the 2024/25 campaign with Philadelphia. The 6’4″ shooting guard has spent most of the past two seasons with Zalgiris Kaunas and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Walker, 27, reportedly met with NBA teams at the Las Vegas Summer League last month ahead of a July 15 NBA opt-out deadline. Evidently nothing came of that though, since it sounds like his main suitors are overseas.
Here are a few more updates from the international basketball world:
Former NBA guard Armoni Brooks is expected to part ways with ASVEL amid the French club’s ongoing financial uncertainty, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net. According to Barkas, several EuroLeague teams — including Real Madrid — are pursuing Brooks, though Partizan Belgrade is no longer in the mix for the 28-year-old. A three-year NBA veteran, Brooks was named Italian league MVP last season with Olimpia Milano. Israeli journalist Arale Weisberg (Twitter link) hears Valencia Basket, Crvena Zvezda and Maccabi Tel Aviv are among the other teams interested in Brooks, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays.
Jahmi’us Ramsey, a 2020 second-round pick, has signed a one-year deal with Italy’s Napoli Basketball, per a team press release. The 25-year-old guard, who spent parts of three seasons in the NBA, led Italy’s top domestic league (Serie A) in scoring last season with Pallacanestro Trieste, having averaged 19.3 points per game. Ramsey helped Team USA win a bronze medal at last year’s FIBA AmeriCup tournament.
Latvian guard Arturs Zagars, who reportedly drew NBA interest in the 2023 offseason after a strong performance at that year’s World Cup, is headed to China to play for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, according to BasketNews. Zagars has battled significant injuries throughout his career and that was the case again last season with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce.