Fenerbahçe bets on versatile guard duo: Baldwin – Larkin and the '9 new signings' chess piece awaiting EuroLeague kickoff

Fenerbahçe's training facility near the Bosphorus was busier than usual. On September 19, Wade Baldwin stood before Turkish radio microphones, smiling like a man who had just won the lottery. His first answer about Shane Larkin's return sounded like an award acceptance speech, not a sports press conference.

"I always wanted to attack him and beat him," Baldwin said, his voice revealing everything. "Now playing together, it's beautiful to have someone like that beside me. He's a great player, a great person."

The quote immediately spread across EuroLeague forums. But I — someone who has spent 34 years commentating basketball from JFK to Hanoi — saw only one thing: Baldwin was publicly betting on something he himself couldn't yet control.

9 new signings, one new season

The number Baldwin revealed at the press conference stopped me cold: 9 new players joining Fenerbahçe this summer. Nine people. A near-complete roster overhaul in 90 days.

This is the team-building approach of a club determined to win now, win immediately. In European basketball — where no salary cap exists like in the NBA — Fenerbahçe is using money to compress every barrier. No aprons, no luxury tax, just a "buy more, win faster" strategy.

The 2026-25 EuroLeague season kicks off in less than 2 weeks. The schedule is already posted on the locker room wall. The goal Baldwin set was clear as red paint: Final Four.

"Last season Nando came, this season Shane returns," Baldwin repeated his own comparison. "They bring something special to the club. I believe Larkin will do the same."

But this is where I must sound the alarm: Nando de Colo is a completely different player. De Colo is a connecting guard, playable at both positions, willing to move off-ball to create space. Larkin is the opposite — he's a primary ball-handling star, the brightest star in any lineup he joins.

The usage rate problem without a solution

Both men play best with the ball in their hands. This is a fact no newspaper dared print at this moment, when everything is still "great chemistry" and "bright future."

Baldwin stands 1m96, weighs 93 kg — the build of a combo guard who can drive to the basket or step back for three. Larkin stands 1m85, weighs 84 kg — but what makes him dangerous is his first-step speed, something any defensive coach must respect. Both tend to create their own opportunities before thinking of teammates.

Baldwin's statement that Larkin "will make my job easier" sounds like a promise to share the burden. But in the transfer world I've observed for three decades, promises like this are often diplomaticspeak — diplomatic language between two newly met stars.

The tactical reality poses a question that's not easy to answer: who will be the primary playmaker when both are on the court? Larkin was once EuroLeague MVP with top-3 scoring efficiency in the league. Baldwin isn't a slouch either — he averaged 17 points last season. A court with 2 people wanting the ball? That's a puzzle Fenerbahçe's coach must solve within 2 weeks.

Larkin's return and the story behind it

Larkin isn't a Turkish citizen, but Istanbul has been his home for many years. "This is an emotionally charged transfer," Baldwin acknowledged. "He's been here before, understands the city, understands the club."

What does this mean? In European basketball, a player returning to their old club typically integrates faster than someone completely new. He's already familiar with the defensive systems, the coach's instruction language, even Istanbul's weather. This is an advantage the other 9 Fenerbahçe newcomers don't have.

But this is also a double-edged sword. When Larkin arrived, expectations from management, fans, and media were immediately sky-high. He's expected not just to play well, but to lead the team to the Final Four — the goal Baldwin stated directly at the press conference.

One small stumble, one losing streak of 3 consecutive games, and the narrative immediately shifts from "Larkin came to save Fenerbahçe" to "Fenerbahçe again drowned in excessive expectations." This is pressure Baldwin must also carry.

The hidden risks of a 9-newcomer roster

Nine new signings is no small matter. I've seen clubs change half their roster in one season, and results usually fall into two extremes: either creating a team stronger than ever before, or collapsing completely due to lack of connection between members.

In basketball, chemistry — the understanding between players — is an asset that cannot be bought with money. It's built through hundreds of hours of shared practice, through tense matches, through failures and lessons learned together. With 9 newcomers, Fenerbahçe is starting from zero.

EuroLeague has a unique season structure: teams must play both the Turkish domestic league (BSL) simultaneously with EuroLeague, potentially totaling 70 games per season. For young or deep rosters, this is an advantage. But for a roster dependent on 2 stars, this is a ticking time bomb.

Larkin is already 32. This is an age when first-step speed begins to decline gradually — not because he's playing worse, but because the body no longer reacts as quickly as at 25. In basketball, where milli-seconds determine scoring moments, this decline can create significant differences.

EuroLeague has no salary cap — and that's the real issue

Something experts often confuse when analyzing European basketball: they apply NBA frameworks incorrectly. "Salary cap, luxury tax, Bird Rights" — these concepts don't exist in EuroLeague. Fenerbahçe can spend as much as they want as long as they meet the league's financial sustainability criteria.

This means: 9 new signings are a direct result of having no salary cap. Fenerbahçe doesn't worry about exceeding budget and facing penalties. They can bring in Larkin, Baldwin, and 7 more people, and nobody has the right to stop them.

But this is also a double-edged sword: without a self-balancing mechanism, the pressure to win weighs heavily on management. One failed season with an expensive roster like Fenerbahçe means losing face before all of Europe.

The stage is set, the script is open

This week, as Baldwin continues training with Larkin under the Fenerbahçe arena roof, he doesn't know that all eyes are watching. After 34 years in this profession, I've witnessed countless guard pairings expected to change history — and just as many that fell apart midway due to usage rates, ego, or simply not fitting together.

Baldwin said Larkin "will make my job easier." That statement is a door opening to the future. But whether that door leads to the Final Four or just a path full of thorns depends on how the coach builds the system, how the 9 newcomers integrate, and how Baldwin and Larkin truly share the ball.

EuroLeague 2026-25 is about to begin. The answer will come after 34 games, not in a press conference.

JFK airport taught me one thing: to get through quickly, don't stand in line. But in basketball, sometimes queuing properly is the only way for the whole team to cross the finish line together.