PAOK sign Walker, send guard on loan to Cluj-Napoca
PAOK signed Leland Walker to a three-year deal until 2029 and immediately loaned him to U-BT Cluj-Napoca for the rest of the 2026-27 season. The 1.85-metre playmaker was born in Indianapolis and arrived from Finland's Salon Vilpas.
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O PAOK contratou Leland Walker por três anos — e o mandou direto para empréstimo, com o U-BT Cluj-Napoca como casa dele pelo restante da temporada 2026-27.
O clube de Tessalônica anunciou o acordo na quarta-feira. O Salon Vilpas, clube anterior dele, também confirmou o acerto: os finlandeses relataram uma taxa de transferência significativa e disseram que Walker ainda atuará uma vez na Korisliiga na sexta-feira antes de a mudança se tornar oficial.
Tessalônica tem o jogador sob contrato até 2029, num planejamento de longo prazo. Entre agora e lá, ele ganha minutos com os atuais campeões romenos na EuroCup, na ABA League e no campeonato nacional.
Nascido em Indianápolis em 12 de abril de 2003, o armador de 1,85 metro começou a carreira profissional na Finlândia. Sua atuação de 42 pontos nas Rodadas de Qualificação da Basketball Champions League estabeleceu um recorde ali; em cinco partidas da BCL ele teve média de 30,6, e em sete jogos na primeira divisão finlandesa a média foi de 25,4.
Relatos iniciais indicavam que o PAOK o deixaria no Vilpas para a campanha deles na Champions League. Suas duas partidas na temporada regular produziram 24,5 pontos, 7,5 assistências, 3,5 rebotes e 1,5 roubo de bola — segundo em pontuação e quinto em assistências naquela competição.
Isso não levantou o time finlandês. Eles estão 0-2 e na lanterna do Grupo C, que também tem Windrose Giants Antwerp, Falco-Vulcano Szombathely e AEK. O PAOK, em vez disso, o colocou em outro clube da EuroCup, um degrau acima para um armador que chegou à Europa depois de uma carreira universitária nômade em Wyoming, Florida Atlantic e Eastern Kentucky.
Na EuroCup, o PAOK divide o segundo lugar do Grupo D com 3-2. O Cluj-Napoca, sua casa temporária, é o sétimo do Grupo B, com 2-3.
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