Zach Leday's Salary Demands Stall Partizan Talks, Hapoel Tel Aviv Emerges as Likely Destination

Zach Leday, the forward who recently ended his contract with Olimpia Milano, is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Hapoel Tel Aviv for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Partizan Belgrade has made an initial two-year offer worth 4.5 million euros, but talks have stalled as Leday raised his salary demands to a total of 5.2 million euros, split as 2.5 million for the first year and 2.7 million for the second. Partizan has indicated it will not increase its offer further.

Leday concluded his tenure at Milano after two seasons, averaging 13.1 points per game with shooting percentages of 51.4% on two-pointers, 49.5% on three-pointers, and 82.4% from the free-throw line, along with 4.2 rebounds. He began his professional career in Israel with Gilboa/Galil, where he averaged 19.3 points and 8.4 rebounds in the 2017-2018 season. Following that, he moved to EuroLeague teams including Olympiacos, Zalgiris, and had two stints with Milano as well as three years with Partizan.

With Partizan unwilling to meet his salary expectations, Hapoel Tel Aviv appears to be the leading candidate to sign Leday for the next season, marking a potential return to Israeli basketball for the forward.