While new coach Ibon Navarro doesn't count on the experienced national team player, Nemanja Nedović revealed the background of his failed negotiations with the club and made it clear there's no way back.
A few hours apart were enough for two pieces of news from Belgrade that herald turbulent days for the basketball club Crvena zvezda. First, it was announced that new coach Ibon Navarro doesn't see experienced forward Kalinić in his plans, and then Nemanja Nedović spoke up, revealing details of the failed negotiations in the podcast "Kole point" and definitively closing the door on a return to the club.
According to Telegraf's information, the Spanish expert who took over the team this summer after a very successful stint at Unicaja doesn't count on the 34-year-old Serbian national team player. According to reports, the club's management tried to convince Navarro that Kalinić is crucial for team spirit and atmosphere, but the coach remained firm in his decision and doesn't consider him part of future plans.
Therefore, Crvena zvezda has started looking for a replacement who could play at both small forward and power forward positions, which Kalinić successfully did in previous seasons. If a separation occurs, the club could significantly reduce its financial burden because Kalinić has one of the biggest contracts on the team, and the coach doesn't intend to use him.
For the 34-year-old player, clubs from Spain have already shown interest, where he left a deep mark playing for Valencia and Barcelona. Kalinić triumphed in the EuroLeague with Fenerbahçe in 2017, and won three Turkish league titles, three national cups, and the Presidential Cup.
With Crvena zvezda, he was Serbian champion multiple times, won the regional ABA League and domestic cups, while with Barcelona he reached the title in Spain and the Copa del Rey. As a permanent member of the Serbian national team, he won silver medals at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, the 2016 Olympics, and EuroBasket 2017.
On the same day, Nemanja Nedović also spoke up, revealing the background of his negotiations with the club in the podcast "Kole point." The Serbian guard described how the situation dramatically changed in June last year when his contract was expiring.
"Something changed in June, within a month. Everything would have been fine because my contract was expiring then. They just needed to tell me then, hey, we're thinking in a different direction, thanks for everything, the three years were great, all of it. I even asked myself then, what's going on? You're telling me one story, but another is happening. It keeps getting postponed... At that time, I was still negotiating with two other clubs, one of them a really serious club. And then, the story completely changed. Come, we're signing the contract. Željko (Drčelić) and I agreed in two minutes. Then something drastically changed, and that's it. That's more of a question for them," Nedović recounted.
Nedović is clear that for him, a return to Crvena zvezda is no longer an option, also referring to the case of Jago, who was also sidelined but then returned.
"It's not an option this year for me to return to Zvezda. I mean, what changed in a year? What can change in a year? We saw Jago, who was also sidelined, then returned, and how it was. If someone shows you a hint of disrespect once, they'll do it again. That's something I've made clear to those who needed to know a long time ago, as far as my playing career is concerned (returning to Zvezda), it's a closed chapter," Nedović stated.
Ibon Navarro took over Crvena zvezda this summer after winning seven trophies with Unicaja, including two consecutive FIBA Champions League titles.
