Corinthians opens negotiations for pivot who was an opponent in the round of 16 of Novo Basquete Brasil

- By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial

Corinthians remains active in the market with a view to assembling the squad for the next basketball season. The most recent name linked to the club is that of pivot Matheus Leal, who played for Unifacisa in the last edition of Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). Conversations between the parties have advanced in recent days, bringing the athlete closer to a possible agreement with the Parque São Jorge team.

The news was initially published by the Repórter Laranja profile, on Instagram, and was also published on the Meu Timão portal. As determined by the report, the player appears among the athletes observed by the Corinthians board in this transfer window and is treated as a concrete option to reinforce the sector.

Photo: NBB

At 29 years old and 2.01m tall, Matheus Leal has a long history in the country's main championship. There have already been 11 seasons played in the NBB, with stints at Basquete Cearense, Pato Basquete, Brasília and São José before defending Unifacisa in the 2025/26 season.

In his most recent participation in the national tournament, the pivot was present in 28 matches and recorded averages of 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. Interestingly, he was on the other side in the round of 16 series between Unifacisa and Corinthians, a match that ended in a 3-1 black and white victory.

After weeks of uncertainty regarding the future of the sport, Corinthians chose to maintain the professional basketball project. Even so, the administration led by Osmar Stabile adopted financial containment measures that will directly affect the department. For the 2026/27 season, the team's budget will be reduced by approximately 30%, even after the historic campaign that took the club to the semifinals of the last NBB.

The consequences of this new scenario have already begun to appear in the composition of the cast. Americans Davaunta Thomas and Elyjah Clark will not remain in the group, while center Kauan Raymundo will also leave the team. In this context, Matheus Leal emerges as the main candidate to occupy the open space in the Corinthian squad.

At the same time, the board is concentrating its efforts on renewing the contracts of athletes who were part of the squad last season and ensuring the permanence of the technical committee led by Jece Leite. As traditionally happens in indoor sports, practically all of the main group's ties came to an end after the end of the 2025/26 season.

The exception is center Gabriel Novaes, the only player with a contract in force beyond the current cycle, with a commitment signed until May 2027.

In next season's calendar, Corinthians will be competing in the Campeonato Paulista, scheduled to start in August, in addition to returning to the courts for the Novo Basquete Brasil and the South American Basketball League.

The post Corinthians opens negotiations for pivot who was an opponent in the round of 16 of Novo Basquete Brasil first appeared on Central do Timão.

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Source: Timao Central