Real Madrid has been a powerhouse in the EuroLeague for some time. They have reached the championship game three straight seasons, winning it in 2022 and finishing as runner-up the other two years.
The Spanish club lost Guerschon Yabusele this offseason as he exercised his opt-out clause and will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers. Legendary Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez has retired after playing last season for Real Madrid. The team is looking for reinforcements to help overcome losing two of their most important players.
Can one of those reinforcements be a seven-year NBA veteran?
Real Madrid Could Look To Replace Yabusele With 7-Year NBA Vet
Cedi Osman Rumored To Be Real Madrid Target
As reported by Alessandro Maggi of Sportando, Real Madrid’s first choice of player to bring to their team is small forward Cedi Osman. Maggi also mentions Semi Ojeyele as a possible Real Madrid addition. Ojeyele has played in 284 career NBA games, most of which coming as a member of the Boston Celtics.
The 29-year-old Osman has played the last seven seasons in the NBA. The first six of those came with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and last season, he donned the jersey of the San Antonio Spurs. He was selected in the second round (31st overall) in the 2015 NBA Draft. His first season in the league didn’t come until 2017-18 though as he spent two seasons after being drafted playing in Turkey.
Standing at six-foot-seven, Osman got to experience the NBA Finals in his rookie season. Unfortunately it didn’t go all that well for Cleveland, as they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers had won the franchise’s first championship in the season before that prior to Osman joining the team.
Osman’s playing time began to increase after his rookie year. He became Cleveland’s full-time starting small forward in 2018-19 and 2019-20. He averaged a career-high 13.0 points in 2018-19, the first of four straight seasons where Osman scored in double figures. Last season with San Antonio, Osman saw action in 72 games. While he was a part of their rotation all season, his points and minutes per game were both their lowest since his rookie year at 6.8 and 17.6 respectively. Osman still shot a career-best 38.9% from beyond the arc.
Overall, Osman has appeared in 476 NBA regular season games. He owns career averages of 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. Osman has shot 43.2% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range, and 71.1% from the foul line.
Real Madrid Has Plenty Of NBA Experience On Roster
If Real Madrid were to sign Osman, he wouldn’t be the first longtime NBA player to join the club this offseason. In late July, it was announced that they had signed Serge Ibaka for the upcoming season. Ibaka played 14 seasons in the NBA. The six-foot-11 power forward/center won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. He also led the NBA in blocks twice while with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ibaka spent last season with Bayern Munich.
Other former NBA players currently on Real Madrid’s roster are Facundo Campazzo, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Mario Hezonja, Usman Garuba, Walter Taveras, Dzanan Musa, and Gabriel Deck.
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