While Kobe Bryant has been rumored to join Deron Williams and sign with the Turkish team Beskitas for weeks, a source close to the All-Star told Yahoo! Sports that he is nowhere near any kind of deal and is merely listening to offers for now.
April 2011 Besiktas Icrypex Wiretap
Kobe To Meet With Besiktas President In August
Kobe Bryant's representatives have had conversations about a deal for him to play for Turkish club team Besiktas this season in Istanbul, Besiktas Coach Ergin Ataman told The Times in a telephone interview Thursday.
Ataman said the team is trying to satisfy Bryant's salary demands so that he can join New Jersey Nets All-Star point guard Deron Williams on the team. Williams signed with Besiktas about a week ago.
"We made our offer to Kobe and now we are waiting for their comments about the situation," Ataman said. "But we didn't talk about details. I think they are thinking now about our offer, and I think in the beginning of August, the first week of August, our president [Yildirim Demiroren] will be in the United States for Deron Williams' press conference and I think that they will meet to sign in USA with Kobe."
Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, didn't return repeated phone calls Thursday to speak about the negotiations Ataman talked about.
Besiktas Confirms Talks With Kobe
Turkish club Besiktas is in talks with Kobe Bryant's representatives about the possibility of the Los Angeles Lakers' star playing in Turkey during the NBA lockout.
"It is a fact that Kobe Bryant's managers have contacted us," coach Ergin Ataman said Thursday, a week after Besiktas signed New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams.
Ataman said Bryant was waiting for an offer from Besiktas. The club, however, said it would need a sponsor to be able to pay for Bryant's contract.
"Our board will evaluate that," Ataman said.
Kobe Seeking $1 Million Monthly Salary To Play For Besiktas
The Turkish team that recently reached an agreement to sign All-Star guard Deron Williams if the NBA lockout drags on has placed its pursuit of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant on hold, according to an overseas report.
Turkey's NTV Spor reported Monday that Besiktas' basketball funds have been tied up by the match-fixing scandal that has ripped through the Turkish soccer world, forcing Besiktas to search for outside funding to help with the further pursuit of NBA players.
According to NTV Spor, Besiktas was initially prepared to offer Bryant a monthly salary of $500,000. But Bryant, according to the report, is seeking a monthly salary of $1 million to join Williams. Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard earlier this month that Williams' overall deal with Besiktas is worth $5 million.
Besiktas Bank Accounts Frozen
Besiktas, the Turkish team that recently signed Deron Williams, has had their bank accounts frozen due to soccer match fixing allegations.
The team will be prevented from signing players in the process.
Besiktas Also Interested In Kobe
After agreeing with New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams on a contract to join his Turkish team during the NBA lockout, Besiktas coach Ergin Ataman declared his next target: Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
Ataman will travel to the United States with Besiktas management officials next week to trumpet the signing of Williams, and wants to arrange a meeting with Bryant and Bryant’s agent, Rob Pelinka, he told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday afternoon.
“After we signed Deron, we started to look around and find a friend of his, find other NBA stars, who want to come over and play with us,” Ataman told Yahoo! Sports. “If Kobe wants to play with Deron in Istanbul, we can discuss this.”
Report: Deron Williams To Sign With Besiktas
A Turkish website is reporting that Besiktas is close to signing Deron Williams to a contract.
Update: Marc Stein of ESPN has confirmed with sources that Williams intends to play for Besiktas if the lockout continues.
Players under contract have typically needed a letter of clearance from FIBA to play elsewhere, but the Players Association believes they need no such clearance during a work stoppage.
"If they try to stop him," one source said of Williams, "the union will fight it."
Sources tell Stein that Williams will not need to report until August or September and that he will be allowed to leave the club once the lockout is resolved.
Besiktas signed Allen Iverson last offseason to a two-year deal worth $4 million.
Zaza Pachulia will also sign with Besiktas, according to the report.
Williams is scheduled to become a free agent in 2012.
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