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According to "Basket News" reports, American point guard Shane Larkin has paid a 400,000 euro buyout to Anadolu Efes, effectively terminating his contract which was set to run until 2028. This move frees him to sign with Fenerbahçe, a transfer his former club had previously obstructed.
The same source indicates that Larkin's transfer to Sarunas Jasikevicius's squad is expected to be finalized within the next 48 hours.
A salary of nearly $4,000,000 per season wasn't enough to keep one of EuroLeague's modern-era greats at Efes, a team that has languished at the bottom of the EuroLeague standings in recent seasons. The American reportedly agreed to a significant pay cut to join Fenerbahçe, a club that has consistently been a far more competitive force in Europe's elite competition than its city rival for years.
Larkin spent eight years with Efes, playing a pivotal role in their two EuroLeague titles (2021 and 2022) under coach Ergin Ataman, forming a lethal backcourt duo with Serbian international Vasilije Micić.
The experienced point guard was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2022 and won the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy in 2020. He was later included in the "All-25" team, recognizing him as one of the 25 greatest players in the modern era of the EuroLeague.
Last season, due to injury issues, he made only 12 EuroLeague appearances, averaging 15.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
VIDEO: Wow, Larkin cuts the deficit: Partizan in trouble!
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