Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Bonga prioritized a return to the NBA throughout the offseason. However, the type of opportunity he was seeking–in terms of role, competitive ambitions, and overall situation–did not materialize, leading him to continue his career in Europe. According to BasketNews sources, the expected agreement with Panathinaikos will include NBA exit clauses each summer, allowing Bonga to pursue an NBA opportunity should the right offer emerge in future offseasons.
The persistent pursuit of Isaac Bonga by the Detroit Pistons appears to be reaching a critical turning point. According to a report from the Serbian outlet Meridian Sport on Wednesday, sources close to the NBA organization have confirmed that the Pistons have successfully convinced the German international that he belongs in the NBA and that the time has come for his return. While a formal deal has not been explicitly signed, the momentum is clearly shifting toward a departure from Partizan Mozzart Bet. As Detroit’s pitch aligns with Bonga’s own ambitions, it is now widely expected to be only a matter of days before the forward moves toward taking his talents to the Motor City.
Under the terms of his current agreement with the Serbian club, with his contract lasting through the 2026-27 season, the final decision rests solely with Bonga. To facilitate the move, he has the option to activate an exit clause by paying a buyout set at approximately 875,000 dollars. This development follows a period of heavy speculation and the Belgrade outfit reportedly rejecting midseason offers for the lockdown defender from several NBA teams.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade reportedly rejected multiple NBA offers for their key forward. According to Meridian Sport, Partizan rejected four lucrative NBA offers for former Los Angeles Lakers forward Isaac Bonga.
Advertisement
Partizan did not want to part with their most consistent player —even for substantial compensation— and further weaken a team that has already suffered a series of blows this season.
Franz Wagner said in passing, "You should go to the NBA." Isaac Bonga: "That's something so you have something to talk about," laughed Bonga, who is, of course, under contract with Partizan. The phone is hot, teammates from the black and white club are probably sending messages... "Now I just want to enjoy myself with my brothers here, to talk to my family, and then we'll see," added the German gold medalist with a broad smile.
"He's been in the NBA before, so he deserves to be in the NBA and I'm confident he can play there. At this level we're playing, the difference between the Euroleague and the NBA is minimal. If you ask me - of course Bonga can play in the NBA. Just give him a contract and a pen to sign. And I think that's true for a lot of European players. It's not like it's impossible. If you can shoot three-pointers well, if you have a high level of athleticism and a good body - you can play in the NBA, for sure, and Bonga has all that and can go to the NBA," concluded Lo for Meridian Sport .
It wasn't the first time Bonga did a good job defensively on Markkanen, and Germany's star Franz Wagner believes the former Los Angeles Lakers wing deserves another shot in the NBA. "Yes, I do believe it, actually," Wagner said after the game. "I think he's shown for a couple of years now that he's an elite defender, shoots the three really well, and can make some plays off the bounce too. So I think he could have a lot of teams interested in him."
However, Bonga himself wasn't so straightforward about his return to the NBA. "I think it's not really something I'm thinking right now," Bonga admitted. "I'm more focused on making sure we win in the finals."
Advertisement
Isaac Bonga: "Physically, I was never really lonely. There were always people around me — staff, teammates, people at the facility. But mentally, I just had the feeling that I was very, very lonely. And that’s something people outside this world don’t really see. They just see everything around us — the glamor, the team, the media — but they don’t see that mental aspect. Moritz said it too — we were both really young. I was 18, he was 21. You’re still developing mentally and physically. You get dropped into a city like LA, with LeBron James, and there are so many expectations, and at the same time, you don’t even know who you are yet. I think that’s something that really hit me. That feeling of being surrounded by people, but mentally you’re just alone."
Germany finalized the 12-man roster for the 2025 EuroBasket upon completion of training camp games Saturday with a win over Spain. The players that compile the EuroBasket squad are the following: Isaac Bonga, Oscar Da Silva, Tristan Da Silva, Justus Hollatz, Leon Kratzer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis, Johannes Thiemann, Johannes Voigtmann, Franz Wagner
Isaac Bonga potentially could be the next EuroLeague player to make an NBA move this summer, sources tell BasketNews. Despite recently signing a contract extension with Partizan Belgrade through 2027, the 25-year-old German forward remains eligible for an NBA move due to an exit clause included in the deal. Bonga, who last played in the league in 2022, remains on the radar of multiple NBA teams, per sources.
