Contrary to a report from Europe, former Utah Jazz swingman Andrei Kirilenko remains undecided about a return to the NBA.
According to a source, Kirilenko is still mulling over whether he should remain with CSKA Moscow, arguably the best team in the world outside of the NBA, or come back to the league this fall. He’s not in a rush to make a decision, as he’s allowed to leave CSKA at any time this summer to return to the NBA if he chooses to do so.
The 6-foot-9 small forward, who spent several years playing alongside Deron Williams, who the Nets hope to re-sign this week, signed a three-year contract with CSKA – formerly owned by Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov – last October during the lockout, and helped lead the team to the Euroleague final, where they were upset by Greek power Olympiacos.
Kirilenko, 31, averaged 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 in 17 games in the Euroleague for CSKA, continuing to be an incredibly versatile player. That was his strong suit throughout his 10 year career with Utah, where he averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.
The Nets, who have consistently been linked to Kirilenko because of his friendship with Prokhorov, had interest in Kirilenko after the lockout ended, but any interest was put aside when Brook Lopez suffered a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. That forced Billy King to acquire Mehmet Okur from Utah, which eliminated any cap space the Nets had available to sign Kirilenko.
If Kirilenko does decide to come back to the U.S., the Jazz would still control his Bird rights.
tbontemps@nypost.com