Introduction
Jonathan Givony
As the NBA becomes more conscious of salary cap and luxury tax implications and looks to get better value from the rotation players they bring off the bench, we are beginning to see a growing trend of exploring the overseas markets for more mature and polished help from established players that put up excellent numbers in the various international leagues.
Nowhere was the groundwork for this trend more evident than in this past draft, where we saw a team like Phoenix sell off their first round pick rather than commit guaranteed money to a player they did not think could crack their deep rotation and warrant a roster spot. This was all the more obvious with the way the 2nd round was conducted, with no less than 9 trades and 10 international players picked.
When considering the option of signing an overseas free agent, it is worthwhile to split this category into two. On one hand we find plenty of intriguing European talent in the mold of Andres Nocioni, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Arvydas Macijuaskas, Fabricio Oberto and Jose Calderon, formerly undrafted players with impressive international resumes that were viewed as difference makers by the teams that signed them and spawned an increasing demand for similar caliber players from the NBA.
On the other are ex-American NCAA stars who were not good enough to make it and/or stick in the NBA immediately out of college and have polished their game in Europe to the point that theyve become viable free agent targets this summer. Charlie Bell might be the best example from last year, a player who dominated the ACB Spanish league and finally achieved his dream of making and sticking in the NBA with an excellent season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Bell took a huge paycut and only cost the Bucks the minimum, but with the departure of TJ Ford looks poised to have an even better season this year and reach heights that European teams cannot match with the elusive second contract.
This is a dimension that must be talked about when discussing signing veteran players from Europe. Almost all of the players are stars in their own right already overseas, and enjoy the type of salaries and recognition that go along with it. If this was strictly a look at the talent overseas rather than taking into consideration the likelihood of actually being able to bring it over, there would be even more players (such as David Hawkins, Lynn Greer and Mire Chatman) to talk about. The issue here is that these players either make or are on the verge landing contracts in excess of a million dollars, which when factoring in the tax structures of contracts in the NBA and overseas (gross versus net) is worth over double what the same contract figure would be from the NBA, with much more job security and playing time guaranteed to them. In addition, European teams often provide their (best) players with top-notch apartments, cars, meals, plane tickets, phones with unlimited calls, and much more.
European teams have become so competitive with the conditions they can offer Americans and Internationals alike, that the players often cannot feasibly afford to give up 7 figure contracts in return for a minimum, often non-guaranteed contract from the NBA.
A more detailed analysis of these underlying factors can be studied in our article written last year entitled Tables Turning on NBAs Relationship With Europe, which was written with an eye on International draft picks such as Fran Vazquez and Roko-Leni Ukic, but is just as relevant when discussing overseas free agents.
Here we will analyze the top 10 overseas free agent prospects on the market and discuss the likelihood of being able to sign then.
Update from European Market:
Raptors land Anthony Parker
As exclusively reported by DraftExpress last week, American swingman Anthony Parker is indeed on the verge of leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv and signing with an NBA squad. Weve since learned that the Toronto Raptors made the strongest pitch to Parker and will land his services for the next three years for approximately 12 million dollars. To make things work, the parties involved will be forced to buy out the last year of Parkers contract with Maccabi, which will cost 1.5 million dollars. $500,000 will be contributed by Toronto, and the rest will be paid by Parker out of his NBA salary. The starting small forward spot for Toronto next to Morris Peterson will be Parkers to lose in training camp.
One player that Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be losing is their starting center Nikola Vujcic. Media reports in the States have linked him to the San Antonio in the past few days, but what they are unaware of is the fact that Vujcic resigned with Maccabi this summer and has no out clause for the NBA. Its widely accepted that his body is regardless not in optimal physical condition to play an 82-game season, which is why he was left off these overseas free agent reports.
One player that Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be losing is their starting center Nikola Vujcic. Media reports in the States have linked him to the San Antonio in the past few days, but what they are unaware of is the fact that Vujcic resigned with Maccabi this summer and has no out clause for the NBA. Its widely accepted that his body is regardless not in optimal physical condition to play an 82-game season, which is why he was left off these overseas free agent reports.
Gelebale signing imminent
League sources confirmed to DraftExpress that Mickaël Gelabale is on the verge of signing a 2-year guaranteed contract with the Seattle Supersonics. The contract is valued at 1.6 million dollars over the 2 year period. Gelabale has a $700,000 buyout sum in his contract with Real Madrid, $500,000 of which will be paid by the Sonics. Gelabale will cover the remaining $200,000 and step into Seattles rotation immediately as a backup for the 2 and 3 spots. The French swingman was drafted last year by Seattle with the #48 pick.
Sacramento, Indiana Closing in on Deal?
The Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are in advanced discussions revolving a trade that would send Bonzi Wells to the Pacers to replace the firepower lost from Peja Stojakovics departure to New Orleans. The reported trade would send Jeff Foster and one of our overseas targets from last year, Sarunas Jasikevicius, to Sacramento in a sign and trade for Bonzi Wells.
Hermann works out for Orlando
Sources in Europe informed DraftExpress that as opposed to reports in the Spanish media, Walter Hermann has still not officially been offered a contract by the Charlotte Bobcats. Hermann was in the States this past week and conducted a workout with the Orlando Magic. He was featured in part one of our overseas free agents article.
Scoonie Penn to Olympiakos?
The buzz in Vegas following our initial top overseas free agent article was that Scoonie Penn is very close to landing a monumental deal with Euroleague squad Olympiakos. The powerhouse Greek club recently hired former Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Pini Gershon (for 900,000 Euros per season) and is looking to make a huge splash on the European market. Penn has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Reds for 2 years and 2 million dollars net, which more than triples his salary from last year with Cibona Zagreb.
Yarone Arbel of Salnews.com also reports that whisperings out of Europe have Arvdas Macijuaksas rumored to be linked with Gershons Olympiakos squad, possibly for as much as 5 years and 11 million Euros, once his buyout with the New Orleans Hornets is complete.
Diawara Signing with Denver?
French swingman Yakhouba Diawara is reportedly close to coming to terms with the Denver Nuggets on a two year guaranteed contract. Diawara is in Las Vegas at the moment playing with Nuggets' summer league team. In his last outing with Denver on Sunday, Diawara scored a game-high 19 points on 6-10 shooting in 25 minutes. Diawara last played for Climamio Bologna and had an outstanding showing in the Italian league playoffs.