The Zach Perrin transfer has stalled just as it seemed done. According to SEGRE newspaper, iLERNA Lleida is refusing to sell their center to Kosner Baskonia despite an offer around half a million euros. The Lleida club will only greenlight the move later, and only if they find a replacement first. Meanwhile, the player has already agreed terms with the Vitoria club for when he can leave.
Interest dating back to September
Baskonia set their sights on Perrin in mid-September, when Alex Len suffered a foot injury in his first training session, a day after his presentation. The injury, which he had been carrying since the end of last season at Real Madrid, left the team with Kenneth Faried as their only pure center. Lleida rejected an initial offer of 300,000 euros at that time.
In recent days, El Correo and Encestando reported that Baskonia had raised their offer to half a million and that the deal was pending signature. Lleida, in fact, had advanced negotiations for Dominican center Rafael Castro as a replacement. But according to SEGRE, the sale won't happen until that replacement is secured.
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Why Lleida is in no rush
Lleida's position makes both sporting and financial sense. Perrin is one of the few bright spots for a team sitting at 1-5 with one of the league's worst defenses, and removing him from the rotation without a replacement would worsen their interior problems. Additionally, his contract includes a 200,000-euro exit clause for EuroLeague teams, but it cannot be exercised until January. That's why Baskonia has to pay a transfer fee well above that figure now if they want to count on him before then.
A young center in full development
Perrin, born in Besançon and standing 2.08 meters tall, arrived at Lleida in August from Hamburg. In Germany he made a name for himself as a mobile center, capable of playing inside and outside the paint, with particularly strong numbers in the EuroCup. In his first six games in the Liga Endesa, he has become one of Lleida's key interior players: 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 17.8 efficiency rating in 25 minutes. On Saturday, against UCAM Murcia, he posted 13 points, 6 rebounds and 20 efficiency rating.
For Baskonia, who just kicked off Velimir Perasović's tenure with a victory and are also negotiating the arrival of Jabari Parker, Perrin would be the interior reinforcement they need following Len's injury.