Maccabi Tel Aviv navigates Loyd departure as conflict clouds Euroleague campaign

While Maccabi Tel Aviv fell to Monaco in the Principality 85-79, evening its Euroleague record at 1-1 early in the season, the result was far from the most impactful event of the evening.

A couple of hours after the game, the yellow-and-blue announced that the club and its star signing from this past summer, Jordan Loyd, had agreed to terms on his release, wishing him the best of luck moving forward.

This was definitely not how Maccabi Tel Aviv wanted its campaign to begin, but how much choice did it really have?

In the face of war, it really had very little.

Oded Katash’s team took the season-opening win last week against ASVEL Villeurbanne in Belgrade due to the security situation in Israel, and there was plenty of good that came from it. Tamir Blatt looked strong, taking over the lead point guard duties from Lorenzo Brown, who departed for Panathinaikos. Jaylen Hoard and Jasiel Rivero were solid inside, making Josh Nebo’s absence somewhat less noticeable. Loyd, the yellow-and-blue’s big offseason addition from Monaco, was brought in to replace Wade Baldwin, and the former NBA champ delivered with a 15-point performance.

It all sounded and looked promising, didn’t it? Well, it wasn’t.

After the Iranian missile attack last Tuesday, numerous reports indicated that Loyd’s family wasn’t comfortable with the star guard staying in Israel – and who can blame them? It’s one thing to deal with Hamas or even Hezbollah sending rockets into Tel Aviv, but when Iran is involved, the escalation is alarming for anyone in the free world, and Loyd’s family’s concerns are understandable.

Sure, Israelis live with these dangers daily, and as someone who made Aliyah to Israel in 2004, I accept that as part of the challenge. But for someone who’s here to play basketball, essentially as a job, and doesn’t have an attachment to the country, it’s different. Loyd can easily take his talents to other teams in other countries.

Maccabi tried to assure the Loyd family that everything would be fine and that the situation would calm down, but there are no guarantees in war.

Loyd knew when he signed in Israel that there was a serious security situation, but over the summer, things had been relatively quiet with no major “action” in central Israel. However, the unpredictability of the conflict created an environment where Loyd’s family felt justified in wanting him to leave.

Loyd’s intentions were clearly good when he signed a lucrative deal with Maccabi, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave. But there’s a difference between signing a contract and facing the reality of heading to a bomb shelter for nearly an hour while Iranian missiles are being intercepted overhead.

When I was in the Malha Arena’s shelter with the Hapoel Lev Jerusalem and Hapoel Kfar Saba women’s teams during the Iranian missile attack, the atmosphere was generally calm. I even interviewed two players, Israeli Shir Tirosh and Zoe Wadoux from France. Both spoke sincerely about the situation, and Wadoux impressed me with how she praised the club’s support and the clear safety procedures. She spoke confidently about her decision to come to Israel to take the next step in her career. But just days later, I saw on her Instagram page that she was back in France. When I reached out, she simply said, “I had fun there and it sucks, but safety first!!”

Can anyone blame her? No.

And the same applies to Loyd, or any other foreign player who leaves.

Would it have been great for Loyd to stay and help lead Maccabi through the 2024/25 campaign? Most certainly. Could some sort of deal have been worked out where Loyd stayed abroad and only played Euroleague games until he and his family were comfortable with him returning to Israel? Anything could have been possible, but the attempt at convincing his family and agent – who flew out to Monaco to talk with the club – came up short.

The silver lining is that the Loyd situation was resolved quickly, allowing Katash and the front office to have clarity on what needs to be done to compete this season. Saben Lee is reportedly joining from Manisa after several seasons in the NBA and G-League, a welcome addition to the squad. Maccabi handled the issue efficiently to prevent other players from considering an exit. Four of the team’s imports – Rokas Jokubaitis, Alpha Kaba, Levi Randolph, and Hoard – will return to Israel, while big man Rivero will remain abroad.

Maccabi isn’t in an ideal situation, but it isn’t to blame for that. When missiles are flying overhead and explosions are heard across the country, it’s frightening for anyone, Israeli or foreigner.

A difficult decision

The Clash’s hit song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” probably ran through Loyd’s head for days, and in the end, he chose to go. Loyd already has suitors lining up, including Fenerbahce (which lost Scottie Wilbekin to injury), Milano, and his former team, Monaco.

The game in Monaco is now behind Maccabi. The team has an Israeli league match on Sunday and a pair of Euroleague clashes against Anadolu EFES and Partizan Belgrade in the competition’s first double week. Right now, the club and its fans must focus on securing as many wins as possible.

If Maccabi hopes to advance to the continental Play-In and Playoffs as it did last season, it needs to focus on results because, as the Euroleague slogan proclaims, “Every game matters.”