Panathinaikos reportedly lead the race for Isaac Bonga if he stays in Europe, after Partizan blocked his mid-season NBA move due to the lack of an exit clause in his contract.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens have reportedly moved into a strong position in the race for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade forward Isaac Bonga, but a possible NBA return remains the key factor.
MIN
27.7
PTS
9.9
FG%
59%
REB
5.6
AS
1.5
According to Sotiris Vetakis of Scoriakas, Panathinaikos currently has the lead in Bonga’s case, provided the German forward does not leave Europe for the NBA this offseason.
NBA interest already appeared mid-season
Bonga was already close to making a mid-season move to the NBA after drawing strong interest from several teams, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.
However, Partizan blocked the move, as Bonga did not have an in-season exit clause in his contract, which runs until 2027.
The Serbian club decided to keep one of its key players during a difficult stretch of the season. They ended the EuroLeague season in 15th place.
Credit Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images
Bonga’s EuroLeague path
Bonga began his EuroLeague career with Bayern Munich, where he spent two seasons before joining Partizan in 2024.
This past EuroLeague season, the 26-year-old averaged 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 14.3 PIR in 38 games (28 starts) for Partizan.
Before returning to Europe, Bonga also had NBA experience with the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors. He was selected 39th in the 2018 NBA Draft.
With Partizan, Bonga won the ABA League championship in 2025.
He is the reigning World Cup and EuroBasket champion with Germany.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens Position Player Status PG Jerian Grant Signed until 2028 PG TJ Shorts Signed until 2027 (Rumored Out) PG/SG Vassilis Toliopoulos Signed until 2028 SG/PG Kostas Sloukas Signed until 2027 SG Kendrick Nunn Signed until 2028 SG/SF Panagiotis Kalaitzakis Signed until 2027 +1 SF Cedi Osman Signed until 2027 SF Nikos Rogkavopoulos Signed until 2029 PF Juancho Hernangomez Signed until 2027 PF Konstantinos Mitoglou Signed until 2029 PF Nigel Hayes-Davis Signed until 2028 PF/C Alexandros Samodurov Signed until 2028 (Rumored Out) PF/C Ioannis Kouzeloglou Signed until 2027 C Kenneth Faried Expiring (Rumored Out) C Mathias Lessort Signed until 2028 Coach Expiring Kenneth Faried Left Ergin Ataman, Marius Grigonis Potential Departures Vassilis Toliopoulos, TJ Shorts, Alexandros Samodurov, Kenneth Faried Incoming deals Targets Zeljko Obradovic (story), Jonas Valanciunas, Isaac Bonga (story)
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