Zach Leday Nears Lucrative Deal to Join Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball Team

Zach Leday, the 32-year-old forward recently released by Olimpia Milano, is close to signing a major contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv, aligning with earlier reports from Israeli sports media. The deal reportedly offers Leday a multi-year contract worth $3 million per season, making it a significant acquisition for the team coached by Dimitris Itoudis.

While Serbian club Partizan Belgrade also expressed interest and made an initial two-year offer totaling 4.5 million euros, Leday raised his demands to 5.2 million euros over two years, which Partizan declined to match. Leday previously played three years with Partizan and has extensive EuroLeague experience, including stints with Olympiacos, Zalgiris, and two periods with Milano.

In the 2025-2026 season with Milano, Leday averaged 13.1 points per game with strong shooting percentages and 4.2 rebounds. He began his professional career in Israel with Gilboa/Galil, posting 19.3 points and 8.4 rebounds in the 2017-2018 season. Basketball journalist Donatas Urbonas confirmed that negotiations with Hapoel Tel Aviv are advanced and the parties are close to finalizing the agreement.