The Markus Howard saga continues. The shooting guard rejected a Galatasaray offer this summer and the matter seemed shelved, but Turkish media outlet Basketfaul claims negotiations between both parties remain active.
Why This Matters in Vitoria
What's relevant isn't so much the player's destination as what his departure would mean.
Baskonia has been dragging two parallel problems since July: instability in the front office during the early summer and, above all, an interior game that hasn't been resolved. They lost Khalifa Diop when the Cleveland Cavaliers exercised their draft rights, signed Alex Len as a solution, and rescinded with him this very week after just one practice session, without him ever debuting.
The result is that the team faces the season with just one pure center, and an aging one at that.
In that context, freeing up a roster spot from a player with a high salary and declining performance isn't a loss: it's financial margin to do what the club needs.
The 2025-26 Numbers
Last season was Howard's most modest since arriving in Vitoria, and injuries played a major role.
In EuroLeague he averaged 10.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 23 games. In the Liga Endesa he posted 15.6 points in just 12 matches, hampered by an ankle injury suffered in Belgrade against Partizan.
The downward progression is clear. In 2023-24 he averaged 19.5 points in EuroLeague and 19.4 in the ACB, figures that earned him the Alphonso Ford Trophy as leading scorer. Since then, 12.1 and 14.9 in 2024-25, and 10.4 and 15.6 last season.
The Obstacle
Finding a team isn't easy. Howard has a contract through 2028 and a salary that few clubs can afford for a player who is far from his peak.
Add to that a condition that already surfaced days ago: the shooting guard would not consider leaving for a team that doesn't compete in EuroLeague. Galatasaray is not in the competition, which explains why he rejected the initial offer.
What could change the scenario is how the team starts the season. Baskonia already raised doubts in preseason, fell in the Supercopa Endesa semifinals to Joventut, and conceded 106 points to Olympiacos in their European debut. If the season goes sideways, the player's position on his future could be different.