NBA: Kevin Durant In Talks To Play In Germany
Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The agent for Kevin Durant confirmed an overseas media report Thursday that the Oklahoma City Thunder star is in talks with BBC Bayreuth about playing in Germany during the ongoing NBA lockout.
Agent Aaron Goodwin told ESPN.com on Thursday night that talks between the teams are “ongoing” but said the deal is not in the final stages as described by SPOX.com.
The SPOX report quoted Bayreuth general manager Bayreuth GM Uli Eichbaum as saying: “We’re in the final stages of a deal and I’m an optimist. It’s not looking bad.”
Over the weekend, Durant told Yahoo! Sports that he was also weighing offers from Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel and Valencia in Spain.
“I’m right on the fence with playing overseas and I’m about to jump over,” Durant said.
In a subsequent interview with ESPNDallas.com from Josh Howard‘s charity game, Durant said that he was looking into the European market more seriously because the lockout has dragged on for more than four months and because “teams over there are offering two-month deals” that offer the flexibility to make a quick return to the NBA if the lockout is lifted.
Said Goodwin: “We’re just exploring every option that we have.”
Durant, meanwhile, continues to play as many charity exhibitions as he can to stay sharp. The 22-year-old estimated before Howard’s game in Dallas that he’s played in roughly 20 such games this summer. He’s scheduled to play in another charity game in Houston on Sunday being organized by John Lucas and son John Lucas III of the Chicago Bulls.
Earlier in the summer, Goodwin had discussions with teams in Spain and Russia as well as Besiktas in Turkey, which is the club that signed New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams and also pursued Kobe Bryant.
ESPN.com reported earlier this summer that Nike hoped its top endorsers, such as Bryant and Durant, would wind up playing in China if they play overseas because of the vast marketing potential NBA stars generally command in Asia. But Chinese teams have since been forbidden from signing players with existing NBA contracts during the lockout.
Securing insurance to protect existing guaranteed contracts and future earning potential against serious injury abroad is another key hurdle contracted NBA players must clear if they want to play overseas. Durant has $82.3 million left on a contract extension he received from the Thunder last summer that hasn’t kicked in yet.
Durant, though, seems unafraid to stay active, judging by his impromptu appearance at famed Rucker Park earlier in the summer for a cameo on the New York summer circuit against largely inferior opposition in addition to his many appearances in charity exhibitions.
WRITTEN BY Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. Follow Marc Stein on Twitter: @ESPNSteinLine & FULL STORY HERE
Follow Marc Stein on Twitter:Â @ESPNSteinLine
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