The confirmation came from an unexpected source. Neither Unicaja nor Dubai Basketball have issued an official statement, but Dejan Kamenjasevic, CEO and general director of the Emirati club, confirmed Simonas Lukosius's loan to the Málaga side in an interview with Mozzart Sport reported by La Opinión de Málaga.
The Bosnian executive was explicit when detailing his summer operations: they currently have four players on loan, two at Joventut, one at Unicaja, and another at Virtus.
The model Dubai wants to import from football
What's interesting about the statement goes beyond the player's name. Kamenjasevic explained that they are applying to basketball a system that until now was almost exclusive to football: signing young players and immediately loaning them to other clubs.
His argument is purely economic. He argues that these loans cost them nothing because the destination clubs assume the salaries, and if in one or two years the player proves his worth, they bring him into the first team for around 600,000 euros with no buyout clause, instead of having to pay two million plus another million in a clause. He acknowledges it's a risk and that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but frames it within the club's change in sporting strategy.
It's exactly the formula they already applied with Yannick Kraag, who exercised his clause to sign with Dubai and continues on loan in Badalona.
What Unicaja gains
For Txus Vidorreta, the move solves a specific need. The head coach was looking for a small forward with outside shooting threat for the three position and lands the latest MVP of the Basketball Champions League Final Four, one of the most sought-after young players in European basketball, coming from Rytas Vilnius.
There is also a favorable circumstance in the calendar. Lithuanian by birth but with a German passport, Lukosius made his debut with Germany in the previous international window under Álex Mumbrú, but has not been called up for this second phase of qualifying for the 2027 World Cup, now that the German national team recovers its NBA and EuroLeague players. This will allow Unicaja to work with him from day one.
The team undergoes medical examinations this Monday and begins training on Thursday, with the official announcement still pending. It wouldn't be the first time: Dubai has taken up to two months to confirm some of its other loans.