By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Hapoel Tel Aviv is set to debut in the EuroLeague and has made strides in the European market by signing players like Vasilije Micić, Elijah Bryant, Dan Oturu, and Chris Jones.
However, according to the club’s owner Ofer Yannay, they were close to another blockbuster signing over the summer.
“We were sure we were bringing Nigel Hayes-Davis. We were sure it was happening. He had an option to go to the NBA, and he basically said, ‘I’ll try to get a contract in the NBA, and if I don’t, I’ll come to you,’” Yannay said, speaking to the team’s official channels.
The former Fenerbahce star, EuroLeague Final Four MVP and record holder for most points in an EuroLeague game with 50, ended up signing a deal with the Phoenix Suns to play in the NBA.
“We talked, and that’s what was supposed to happen — but then Phoenix gave him $7.5 million per season and promised him 15 minutes per game.”
Despite Hayes-Davis putting pen to paper with the Arizona team, Yannay is not losing hope.
“He’s still flirting a little with [Dimitris] Itoudis on the phone, so maybe he’ll come. And if that happens, I hope that we not only reach the final against Panathinaikos, but that we beat them by 30 points in the final,” Ofer Yannay concluded in his usual manner.