By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Zalgiris announced a season budget of €21.7 million.
The annual season budget presentation press conference was held on Friday morning, with team president Paulius Jankunas and general manager Gediminas Navickas.
With the budget for the 2025-26 journey in the EuroLeague and domestic competitions of Lithuania breaking a club record, €14.4 million out of the €21.7 million concerns player and staff salaries. The team plan is to collect €18.8 million in revenue this season.
“We are happy that we managed to exceed the set goals, but we look at the achieved result realistically. In the Euroleague, our opponents have several times larger budgets, so every decision must be carefully considered, and the available resources must be used to the maximum,” explained 41-year-old Jankunas.
In the preceding offseason, the Kaunas outfit signed five new players, specifically Nigel Williams-Goss and Moses Wright from Olympiacos, Maodo Lo from Paris, Azuolas Tubelis from domestic rival Rytas, and Dustin Sleva from Besiktas Fibabanka. Laurynas Birutis, Ignas Brazdeikis, Arnas Butkevicius, Sylvain Francisco, Dovydas Giedraitis, Mantas Rubstavicius, Deividas Sirvydis, and Edgaras Ulanovas are among the remaining players under contract for the next season. Former player Tomas Masiulis was hired as the new head coach.
Boosting excitement for the new campaign, Zalgiris opened the EuroLeague Regular Season with a win over AS Monaco in Salle Gaston Medecin on Tuesday, with a Round 2 challenge opposite defending champion Fenerbahce Beko following in Zalgirio Arena on Friday evening. At the domestic level, a 3-0 start in the Betsson LKL Regular Season launched the defense of the Lithuanian championship.
“We have a deep squad, with three players for each position, and a renewed coaching staff. With this composition, we will strive to defend the LKL championship title and win the King Mindaugas Cup. Our goal in the Euroleague is to reach the playoffs,” stressed Jankunas.