Nets superstar Deron Williams may find big bucks in Turkey in the event of a long NBA lockout, but that doesn’t mean he’ll inspire an overseas exodus. Some other NBA players will go, no doubt, but that doesn’t mean there are teams waiting with opens arms and checkbooks.
“We ‘re talking to a number of teams but it really is a case-by-case basis for individual players, where is he in his contract, where he is in his career,” said agent Mark Bartelstein, who suggested that “players in the beginning or the middle of a long term deal are not apt to risk going overseas to play.”
Marc Cornstein, whose client (and former Net), Nenad Krstic, left to play overseas last month, does not foresee a long list of players flocking to foreign teams.
“I wouldn’t say it’s going to be an exodus, especially for the higher-end players,” Cornstein said. “For starters, there are not enough overseas teams with the resources to afford a superstar of Deron Williams’ caliber.”
Among Bartelstein’s clients are former Knick David Lee, who now plays for Golden State, Danny Granger of Indiana and Mo Williams, who finished last season with the Clippers. All are players with considerable money remaining on their contracts. Bartelstein said none of them would be looking for foreign deals.
“I think the players you would see [going to foreign teams] are free agents or guys trying to break into an NBA rotation,” Bartelstein said, adding there could be more should the lockout drag on and on.
And that is a possibility.
“The NBA has shown no inclination to get a deal done, so players are going to be more anxious,” said Bartelstein.
Williams has reached an agreement with Besiktas in Turkey, a deal confirmed by his agent, Jeff Schwartz. Also agreeing on Thursday to play with Besiktas was Atlanta center Zaza Pachulia, who played professionally in Turkey before joining the NBA.
One other agent, who requested anonymity because he did not want to publicly question another agent’s client, said his main concern for any player who left to play for a foreign team would be regarding insurance.
Other factors pointed out by several agents were the financial resources of some of the overseas teams plus their willingness to allow players out of a contract when the lockout ends. Cornstein cited Krstic, who used a preemptive strike and signed with a Russian team last month, before the lockout. Krstic is locked in at least throughout the upcoming season.
“He did it entirely because of the lockout,” Cornstein said. “Being a European, he felt there wouldn’t be many available jobs if he didn’t act quickly.
“It will be interesting to be how aggressively some people go after it,” Cornstein added. “But I think they will find there are not many teams looking for ‘rental’ players, teams willing to let players out of their contracts when the lockout ends.”