Edy Tavares reportedly had an agreement with Barca in 2017 / News - Basketnews.com

Tavares had a pre-agreement to sign with Barcelona for the 2018-19 season to replace Ante Tomic. Real Madrid stepped in with a three-year €2 million-per-season contract and lured the player away from their biggest rivals.

Credit: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins - Scanpix Credit REUTERS/Ints Kalnins - Scanpix

Edy Tavares is one of the most dominant players in the EuroLeague. He's a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, he's now a Final Four MVP. However, things might have been very different if not for his decision 6 years ago.

Walter Tavares

MIN:20.26PTS:10.29 (69.8%)REB:5.89As:1.29ST:0.79BL:1.89TO:1.43GM:28ProfileACB2022/2023

Tavares averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds for a 26.8 PIR in the quarterfinal series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. He managed to increase his production in the Final Four, registering a double-double of 16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds for a whopping 29.5 PIR while playing 34 minutes on the court as a 2.20-meter center.

He finished the semifinal game against FC Barcelona with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks for 39 PIR, tied for the second-best Final Four performance in EuroLeague history. He dominated against Barca in the Spanish Liga Endesa (ACB) finals last year.

According to Jose Luis Martinez from MARCA, there was a strong chance that Tavares could have joined Barcelona in 2017 before becoming a Real Madrid player, which would have dramatically changed the European basketball landscape.

After Ognjen Kuzmic suffered an injury in October of 2017, Real Madrid looked at Tavares as an option to replace the Serbian center. However, his agent told back then that the primary option for the player was to continue in the NBA G-League before becoming part of a project in Europe, Martinez notes.

That project in Europe was Barcelona. Barca had a pre-agreement to sign Tavares as a replacement for Ante Tomic beginning with the 2018-19 season. That's when Real Madrid swooped in, the journalist writes, offering a three-year, €2 million-per-year contract, which the player's side considered irresistible.

Tavares ended up signing with Real Madrid on November 7th, 2017, three weeks after Kuzmic's injury. The rest is now history.

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