Zach LeDay is ruthlessly “stalling” Partizan, leading the Black-and-Whites to turn toward Alen Smailagic’s return to Belgrade, according to Basketball Sphere sources.
What we have seen in the transfer window so far clearly shows that the Partizan is going through a difficult period regarding its negotiating capabilities.
Some players have been signed but are not yet official, which was confirmed by club president Ostoja Mijailovic. The names that are more or less known to be wearing the black-and-white jersey next season are Kyle Allman, Nikola Tanaskovic, Kevarius Hayes and Derek Willis.
Fans are already in a state of panic to some extent because, after numerous departures – and with all due respect to these names – it is clear that the roster at this moment does not look nearly competitive enough to fight for high goals in the EuroLeague.
Case 1: Zach LeDay is “stalling” Partizan
It is no secret that Partizan is trying to bring back the power forward who spent the previous two seasons in Milano.
Basketball Sphere has learned that the Black-and-Whites’ initial offer was €4.5 million for a two-year contract.
Zach LeDay then kept Partizan on hold. In the meantime, speculation surfaced that Hapoel Tel Aviv was also entering the race, after which the American demanded a larger sum of money. According to our information, his demands were a contract of €2.5 million for the first season and €2.7 million for the second season, totaling €5.2 million for a two-year deal.
Statistically speaking, last season Zach LeDay made 30 EuroLeague appearances, averaging:
- 13.1 points
- 4.2 rebounds
- 0.9 assists
- 25 minutes on the court
However, it is also a fact that the team completely underachieved in the EuroLeague, only salvaging their impression by winning the Serie A.
Whether Zach LeDay is trying to drive up his price and extract the maximum out of this situation – which is a realistic possibility – or if he expects to reject Partizan this way while hoping Hapoel Tel Aviv offers even more money, remains unknown. In any case, regardless of the fact that player prices have risen and “inflation has eaten” a certain amount of money over the past few years, it would be madness for Partizan to offer him a single cent more than their last offer.
Case 2: Alen Smailagic and Virtus on shaky ground
Alen Smailagic was the third highest-paid player at Virtus last season, and much more was certainly expected of him. The Bologna team ended the season poorly, finishing without a trophy; they completely underachieved in the EuroLeague and also unexpectedly crashed out of the Serie A playoffs in the semifinals against Venezia.
We can say that Smailagic blended into the team’s mediocrity, showing only flashes of the basketball that prompted Virtus to buy him out from Zalgiris a year earlier for a buyout fee of €300,000.
According to Basketball Sphere’s sources, Partizan intends to bring back the occasional Serbian national team player, but it remains to be seen how they will manage it.
Virtus has a team option to terminate the contract, which is valid for next season, but if they decide to do so, they must pay Smailagic €300,000. While that seems like a lot of money at first glance, it would allow them to get rid of a contract that would owe Alen Smailagić more than €1 million over the course of the 2026/2027 season.
Our sources indicate that Partizan is closely monitoring the situation and wants Alen Smailagic to wear the black-and-white jersey again this summer.
Time will tell what the clubs (Partizan and Virtus) and the players (Zach LeDay and Alen Smailagic) will decide, and whether we will see them in the jersey of the Belgrade giant again in the future.
As Basketball Sphere has learned, Partizan has entered the race to sign Alessandro Pajola, who has also been on Crvena Zvezda's radar this summer. 👀https://t.co/QEXbswVjk7
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) July 5, 2026
Pajola has set clear financial terms for Partizan. 💰
Read more at the link ☝️☝️#kkp #kkcz pic.twitter.com/gZpZ86DyQi
Alessandro Pajola and Partizan
Alessandro Pajola emotionally left Virtus after 11 years, and Partizan has contacted the Italian, who has set his conditions. We wrote about this in more detail yesterday.
More movement in Partizan is expected in the coming weeks as club continues to reshape their roster ahead of the new season, with full updates available in the EuroLeague Transactions.
