Hapoel Tel Aviv's frontcourt rebuild for next season may not be finished yet. Sport5 reports that Maxi Kleber, the veteran German forward-center who spent nine seasons in the NBA, is a candidate to join the club as it continues stocking up for a return to the top of Israeli and European basketball.
According to the report, the 34-year-old, 2.08-metre big man would slot in alongside the centers Hapoel has already added this summer, Tai Odiase and Daniel Oturu, giving head coach a third body capable of playing both power forward and center.
Kleber has built his career on exactly that kind of positional flexibility. Drafted out of Germany's Bundesliga system, he moved through Spain's Obradoiro before a two-year stint at Bayern Munich preceded his 2017 jump to the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent the bulk of his American career.
His statistical peak came in the 2019-20 season, when he appeared in 74 games for Dallas and averaged 9.1 points a night. He was later included in the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February 2025, and per Sport5 logged 43 appearances in his most recent NBA season, averaging 10.7 minutes, two points and two rebounds.
With his contract situation pointing toward unrestricted free agency this offseason, Kleber is one of several veteran NBA names being circulated around Europe this summer — and Hapoel Tel Aviv, rebuilding after a EuroCup-winning campaign, is reportedly among the suitors testing the market.
The club has already been active: Czech guard Tomas Satoransky arrived after four seasons at Barcelona, Amir Coffey and Zach LeDay were brought in over the summer, and sharpshooter Antonio Blakeney signed a contract extension following his role in last season's EuroCup triumph. Kleber, per the report, would become a fifth notable summer addition if the move materializes.
Nothing has been confirmed by either side, and Sport5 frames Kleber strictly as a candidate under consideration rather than a done deal. Hapoel Tel Aviv have not commented publicly on the report.
