The signing of Willy Hernangómez by Barça was a matter of time, specifically until 23:59 yesterday. Real Madrid had until that hour to exercise their right of first refusal on the pivot, matching the blaugrana offer, but the white club did not make any movement. The Catalans confirmed, after midnight, the Spaniard’s arrival at the Palau and that he will do so until 2026.
The former player of the New Orleans Pelicans, 29 years old and 2.11 meters, returns to Europe after closing his stage in the NBA, where he also played for the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks. In the North American League he averaged 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds, and the best of his seven seasons was his first with the New York franchise. In the last year he barely had a leading role with the Pelicans despite starting the season as champion and MVP of the last Eurobasket with Spain.
Hernangómez began playing for CB Las Rozas and finished his training at Real Madrid. The man from Madrid knows the Endesa League for his two spells with the white team, first in the 2012-13 season and especially in the 2015-16 season, and also for his two years on loan at Real Betis. “I am from the Madrid youth academy, but I want to play, feel important and win trophies. We’ll see where, I don’t close the door on anyone. Barça is a champion team. In the end it is a job, an opportunity. If it happens, I should think about it a lot, ”the man from Madrid recently said in Betevé.
Now, Hernangómez reinforces the inside game of a Barça that also intends to sign his brother Juancho, who occupies the position of power forward and finds himself without a team after being cut by the Toronto Raptors in February. The Spanishization of the Blaugrana team, now coached by Roger Grimau, does not end with the hiring of Joel Parra and Willy Hernángómez, since the signing of Darío Brizuela is also being considered. Barça would be willing to pay the Unicaja escort clause.
