Madrid renews with Martínez and bets on depth after falling in the final

Real Madrid faces the upcoming season with the determination of one who knows exactly what is missing. The 2025-26 campaign left a bittersweet taste: third in the regular phase with 24 wins and 14 losses, they eliminated Hapoel Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals 3-1 and reached the final in Athens, where they fell to Olympiacos. It was a tournament of individual ups and downs. Facundo Campazzo reached his best expression, being MVP of the second playoff game with a valuation of 30, while Edy Tavares reaffirmed his defensive status by entering the EuroLeague’s second-best team with 6.6 rebounds per game, third in the competition.

Sergio Scariolo coached the team for one season after taking over in July 2025 when Chus Mateo left. His tenure ended with the defeat in the final, prompting a change in the coaching staff. The club decided not to wait any longer and went directly for the coach who had performed best in Europe.

Pedro Martínez's arrival transforms the project

Pedro Martínez won the Gomelskiy award for the best coach in the EuroLeague while coaching Valencia and celebrated that recognition by taking his team to the Final Four. Two months after that feat, Madrid signed him. Martínez is a system coach, with a well-worked offense and daily demands. His arrival at a locker room with established hierarchies and players used to a different way of doing things will not be automatic, even coming off winning the best coach award of the year. The transition requires time and tactical adjustment.

The whites' bet lies in Martínez's system compensating for the absences through distribution and volume. He is not a signing that wins games by himself, but rather a structure that should enhance those already there and those who arrive. Alongside him, Jaime Pradilla has arrived from Valencia following the coach, reinforcing the project's continuity.

Painful departures: the NBA takes offensive talent

Mario Hezonja left for the Cleveland Cavaliers after being the top scorer of the Final Four with 44 points in two games. Trey Lyles signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both departures to the NBA represent a significant loss of offensive production in the power forward position. The interior game was additionally affected by the departures of Ömer Yurtseven and Alex Len, who joined Baskonia in September after being released due to injury. David Krämer went to Estrella Roja and Mady Sissoko to Beşiktaş.

In the youth system, Izan Almansa, Gunars Grindvalds, and Ilia Frolov headed to American college basketball. These departures forced a reconsideration of several lines of the team, especially the four position, where replenishment was needed both in quantity and versatility.

Seven signings to rebuild the rotation

Madrid has brought in seven players distributed in two clearly differentiated groups. The first group includes proven players in Europe. Mikael Jantunen arrives from Fenerbahçe and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot from Baskonia, where he was the best in the Copa del Rey final with 28 points against Madrid. Both strengthen the wing position with defensive versatility.

The second group corresponds to bets from the United States. Max Shulga landed from the Boston Celtics after dominating in the G League, Olivier Sarr arrives from the Cleveland Cavaliers to bolster the paint, Damian Jones joins the interior game, and Nick Smith Jr. completes the exterior rotation. Three of these seven signings come from the NBA, reflecting the club's ambition to add proven talent from the best league in the world.

The most important change remains that of the bench. Pedro Martínez, EuroLeague Coach of the Year 2025-26, is the signing that articulates the entire project. His arrival sets the tone for a transformation that goes beyond names and numbers.

The core that remains

Sergio Llull renews for his twentieth season in the top European competition, a historic record. The Balearic is the cornerstone of a structure that keeps Facundo Campazzo, Théo Maledon, and Andrés Feliz in control of the game. Alongside them are Gaby Deck, Alberto Abalde, Gabriele Procida, Chuma Okeke, Usman Garuba, and Walter Tavares, who remains the best defensive pivot in Europe at 34 years old with evident physical wear.

The challenges of the upcoming season

The coaching change will be the most immediate test. Martínez arrives at a locker room with established dynamics and must impose his philosophy without breaking the existing trust. The four position presents a question: Hezonja and Lyles, who contributed points and size, have left, and Pradilla, Jantunen, and Luwawu-Cabarrot have arrived. It's more people with greater versatility but less individual scoring ability. The system must generate shots; if possessions need to be resolved one-on-one, the difference will be significant.

Walter Tavares remains the defensive difference for the team. At 34 years old with accumulated wear, the Cape Verdean is irreplaceable in key moments. Sarr, Jones, Garuba, and Okeke will share the remaining minutes in the paint, but none have his impact. Correctly managing him until May is half a season of work.

On the perimeter, there is congestion. Campazzo, Maledon, Feliz, Llull, Shulga, and Smith are six players for two positions, several with long contracts. There will be dissatisfaction from November; it is inevitable. Minute management and rotation will be crucial to maintaining the environment.

Real Madrid retains the core that reached the final, has added depth in all lines, and has signed the most valued coach of last season. What it hasn’t done is incorporate a player who can win a game by himself. Hezonja was that in May, and he left for the NBA. The bet is that Martínez's system compensates for that absence through collective work.

The Final Four is the declared goal. The roster is capable of aiming for that. Winning the competition will depend on whether the team finds that individual reference in April and how Tavares arrives at the end of the season. The bar has been set by the club itself: it already knows what it means to fall just one game short of glory.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Madrid renueva con Martínez y apuesta por profundidad tras caer en la final