MoraBanc Andorra Signs Xavier Castañeda on Loan from Unicaja

MoraBanc Andorra has secured a loan deal for Bosnian international Xavier Castañeda from Unicaja Málaga, with the 25-year-old guard already in the country ahead of Friday's matchup against Hiopos Lleida.

The Chicago-born player, who holds dual US-Bosnian citizenship, arrives as a replacement for Aaron Best after Hiopos Lleida's recent deal collapsed over the weekend. Lleida had announced his signing but withdrew following a medical exam that detected undisclosed right shoulder tendinitis. Unicaja stated it had no prior knowledge of the issue and is reviewing further details. Castañeda, standing 1.84m, trained normally with both Unicaja and Lleida beforehand.

At Unicaja since last summer, the 1.84m guard has seen limited action, featuring in five ACB games with averages of 10:53 minutes, one point, 1.4 assists, and a -2.2 valuation. His European stats are stronger at 6.8 points over six Basketball Champions League appearances. Against MoraBanc at Pavelló Toni Martí, he logged 9:11 minutes with zero points, a -15 plus/minus, and -3 valuation.

Castañeda's move fills a gap left by Ferran Bassas's departure and the expected exits of Best and Justin McKoy due to poor form. A deal for American Daryl Macon from Maorussi fell through, as the club refused to release him—he played against Panathinaikos on Wednesday.

The guard began at University of South Florida before transferring to Akron Zips, where he averaged 17.5 points and 2.6 assists. Undrafted in 2023, he joined the Clippers for NBA Summer League, then Lavrio BC in Greece (15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 24.4 minutes). Last season with France's JL Bourg-en-Bresse, he posted 17 points, two rebounds, and 3.5 assists at 44.4% from three, earning All-Star honors before a broken right metacarpal ended his year early. Unicaja signed him to replace Tyson Carter, but coach Ibon Navarro found little fit.

Málaga reports describe Castañeda as introverted with communication challenges—Navarro reportedly needed "corkscrews" to draw words from him. Bosnia's former selector Adis Beciragic criticized his fitness and excluded him from Eurobasket.

MoraBanc officials, per specialist Chema de Lucas and club sources, cleared the loan after their own medical checks, viewing him as a second-half boost under Joan Plaza. Best and McKoy's departures remain unannounced.