Basket Zaragoza and the Oklahoma City Thunder are at odds over the contract status of NBA lottery pick Aday Mara’s eligibility to play in the NBA.
The top-level Spanish club informed FIFA, the NBA and Thunder of its claim that Mara is under contract with the team for the 2026-27 season and can’t play in any other professional league without an international transfer agreement. Basket Zaragoza also said it would dispute any such request.
The Thunder said the NBA cleared Mara because he participated in three full years of college basketball in the NCAA. Mara played for UCLA and then transferred to Michigan and was part of the university’s national championship team in April.
“Aday last played three years of NCAA college basketball and therefore, as advised by the NBA, no clearance from the Spanish team is required for him to play in the NBA,” a Thunder spokesperson said Friday.
Mara, a 7-foot-3 center, was a member of Basket Zaragoza from 2021-23.
He was the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
