While the EuroLeague Final Four often marks the unofficial beginning of the following season’s transfer market, the end of domestic competitions is usually when Europe’s top clubs truly step on the gas. Negotiations intensify, phones struggle to survive the day, and talks routinely stretch late into the night. Every club is trying to maximize its position in one way or another: signing players at the right price, moving contracts with minimal cost, or extracting the highest possible return from outgoing deals.
And sometimes, there is another layer to the game.
Sometimes, you have to play poker.
Sometimes, you even have to bluff.
That appears to be exactly what is unfolding right now between two Spanish basketball powerhouses: Baskonia and Barça. Two EuroLeague clubs that could soon be involved in a major move from Vitoria to Barcelona, with head coach Paolo Galbiati and young sporting director Xevi Pujol potentially making the switch.
The situation, in broad terms, is relatively straightforward: both Galbiati and Pujol are under contract with Baskonia for next season. However, for weeks now, the Basque club has seriously considered moving forward without either of them in its plans. At the same time, Barça has already reached agreements with both —first with Pujol, and more recently with the Italian coach—.
And this is where the bluff comes into play: in recent days, Baskonia has publicly doubled down on its intention to keep both figures within the organization, likely with one key objective in mind: maximizing the financial compensation attached to what increasingly looks like their move to Barcelona.
Now, the details.
Pujol arrived at Baskonia last summer. At only 35 years old, his work at BAXI Manresa —particularly his reputation for identifying talent— had already established him as one of the rising names in Spanish basketball front offices. He arrived in Vitoria as the successor to club legend Alfredo Salazar, the executive who once discovered and brought several players to elite European basketball: Luis Scola, Andrés Nocioni, Tiago Splitter, Elmer Bennett and Arvydas Macijauskas, among many others.
Alongside Pujol, Galbiati also arrived to Baskonia, coming off an outstanding season with Trento in Italy, where he led the team to a Coppa Italia title. The Italian coach repeated that success in his first season in Spain, leading Baskonia to a Copa del Rey championship: the club’s first in 17 years.
Because of this, despite Baskonia falling out of the EuroLeague race early and suffering a first-round playoff exit in Liga Endesa, the season can hardly be considered a failure.
Still, Baskonia has always been a unique organization, particularly behind the scenes.
Salazar continues to hold significant influence within the club and maintains a strong relationship with owner Josean Querejeta. And his preferred option for the club’s sporting structure is reportedly not Pujol, but Juan Pedro Cazorla, a former Baskonia player who spent five seasons with the club between 1991 and 1996.
Meanwhile, Galbiati’s position on the sidelines was never completely secure.
Before Baskonia’s Copa del Rey triumph, the Italian coach had already been close to losing his job on two separate occasions. And only weeks after the title run —which included wins over Barça in the semifinals and Real Madrid in the final— speculation returned.
Despite Galbiati’s unconventional personality and growing popularity among fans, there was never complete certainty inside the organization that he would remain the head coach for the 2026-27 season.
That was when the poker game truly began.
After defeating Unicaja in the final game of the regular season, and with rumors already circulating, Galbiati himself appeared to shut down the speculation.
“I want to stop all the noise. I spoke with the president and I’m very calm and happy with the connection I’ve built with the fans,” he said, adding that he intended to honor his contract in Vitoria.
Shortly afterward came Baskonia’s unexpected playoff elimination against Ricky Rubio’s Joventut in the Liga Endesa quarterfinals.
And the noise quickly returned.
Reports even emerged suggesting Baskonia was considering bringing back Velimir Perasovic, former player and three-time former head coach of the club. One thing, however, remained clear: internally, there was no full conviction regarding Galbiati’s future. And the same was happening in the front office with Pujol.
That was when Barça entered the picture. By late May, the Catalan club had reached an agreement with Pujol and, in recent days, did the same with Galbiati.
Then, Baskonia made its move. Since Josean Querejeta took control of the organization, it has rarely been an easy negotiating partner for Spanish basketball’s traditional giants, Real Madrid and Barça.
This time appears no different.
The club has sensed leverage and has little intention of allowing Pujol and Galbiati to leave without securing substantial compensation. Even if neither appears central to the club’s long-term sporting plans, Baskonia has no interest in making the departures easy.
Just last week, during a media breakfast, Félix Fernández —one of Querejeta’s closest executives— made the club’s position very clear:
“We count on Xevi Pujol. He informed us unilaterally that he wanted to go to Barça. That happened before the playoffs and I find it strange that Barça acted that way. We will defend the club’s interests”, he said. According to multiple sources, Baskonia is seeking approximately €300,000 in compensation to release Pujol from his contract.
The situation became even more complicated on Wednesday, just minutes after Valencia Basket clinched the Liga Endesa title against Barça. That was when reports surfaced that Barcelona had also reached an agreement with Galbiati. From that point forward, the pattern seen with Pujol repeated itself, and even more publicly.
Several messages from Baskonia’s official channels have reinforced support for the Italian coach. Regardless of ongoing negotiations with Barcelona, the club is clearly trying to maximize its leverage by projecting firm confidence in Galbiati.
¡Tutti qui!
Sigamos escribiendo más páginas 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/89XqqE9KxT
— Kosner Baskonia (@Baskonia) June 27, 2026
This week, Baskonia even confirmed the continuity of assistant coach Pablo Pin, Galbiati’s right-hand man throughout the season. Every move points toward the same strategy: publicly reinforcing a long-term project whose foundations may not be nearly as solid behind closed doors.
✍️ Pablo Pin renueva su compromiso como entrenador ayudante de Paolo Galbiati una temporada más
📰https://t.co/A1drPD42dP pic.twitter.com/XPxkRrMcMD
— Kosner Baskonia (@Baskonia) June 25, 2026
Meanwhile, Barcelona already understands that the cost of completing the operation could become far higher than initially expected. And there are even scenarios where the entire deal could collapse.
Predicting how events will unfold over the coming days is difficult, even if all parties appear, in some way, destined to eventually reach common ground. Logic suggests Galbiati and Pujol will ultimately end up in Barcelona next season, with Barça paying significant compensation to Baskonia.
The real question is how far the Basque club can push the situation before the rope finally snaps. For now, one thing is certain: the poker game is underway, and almost nobody wanna show their cards.
And when it comes to playing poker in basketball boardrooms, very few people do it better than Josean Querejeta.
