Yakhouba Diawara has signed a deal to play in the Italian League this season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Diawara appeared in just six games for Miami in 2009-10, averaging less than eight minutes per appearance.

It's still possible that rookie forward Pape Sy will join the Hawks for the 2010-11 season.

Atlanta drafted Sy in the second round of June's NBA Draft.

Sy is set to report to camp for French club Le Havre, but the Hawks are still talking to Le Havre about a buyout of the final year of Sy's contract.

Earl Barron recently turned down an offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to a source.

Barron is confident he'll get an offer from an NBA team in the near future.

New York showed interest in re-signing Barron, but they signed young Russian center Timofey Mozgov with a three-year, $9 million deal instead.

Jerome Jordan of the New York Knicks has signed with top European team KK Hemofarm Vrsac of Serbia.

His agent Kristina Andersen said by e-mail yesterday that "the Knicks still own his rights and he plans to join them in the future, but chose this route right now in order to ensure he receives a lot of playing time and continues to improve"

Ryan Wittman has signed a one-year contract with Libertas Forli in Italy for the upcoming 2010-11 season, his agency Mark Termini Associates confirmed to RealGM on Wednesday.

Wittman was the 2009-10 Ivy League Player of the Year during his senior season with Cornell.  Wittman averaged 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as a senior and helped lead Cornell into the Sweet 16.

Wittman also played for the Celtics and Knicks during the 2010 NBA Summer League.

Suns guard Goran Dragic has clarified recent comments made to a Greek journalist about leaving the NBA to return to Europe.

Dragic is under contract with Phoenix through the 2011-12 season.

"This news is not correct, because I made a statement that I want to end my basketball career in Europe. So this is a big misunderstanding of the Greek (journalist)," Dragic wrote in an e-mail to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

"In this moment I'm very happy in the NBA and I'm not going to Europe! I am a member of the Phoenix Suns, and my desire is to stay in Phoenix for many years!"

Suns guard Goran Dragic might leave the NBA after the completion of his current contract.

Goran is under contract with Phoenix next season for $1.97 million and there is a team option for $2.1 million in 2011-12.

Tassos Melas of The Score's Basketball Jones translated Dragic's comments to the European media.

"I am completely satisfied with my presence in the NBA. These two years helped me evolve as a player. I improved in all areas. I have a contract for this year, and then for the following year, it's my choice whether or not to continue (in Phoenix). Maybe I return to Europe," Dragic said.

"Eventually this will happen for sure. I do not know if it will the season after next. But the prospect of a big European team, perhaps even Greek, would interest me very much. Winning titles is always something which is very important."

Heat second-round pick Da'Sean Butler has no plans to leave behind the possibility of a roster spot for the security of playing in Europe.

Fellow second-round pick James Varnado opted for a contract in the Italian League just a few days ago.

Butler, the 42nd overall pick in June's NBA Draft, is ready to battle for a roster spot in Miami.

"We're in discussions with Miami on signing a contract," agent Richard Katz said. "Our intentions are to make him part of the Miami Heat. And that's where he'd like to be, and I think that's where they'd like to have him."

Butler's chances of catching on with the Heat are complicated by the torn ACL he suffered playing for West Virginia in the Final Four this spring.

"We're certainly looking for as many assurances and guarantees as we can get, obviously," Katz said. "But we really haven't engaged in any substantive talks about the numbers or the parameters of the agreement yet."

Paul Pierce, a career-long members of the Celtics, says he wants to finish his professional basketball career playing in Europe.

Pierce signed a contract in July that will keep him in Boston for three more seasons, with an option for a fourth year.

"As far as retiring from the NBA, I think I will be done after this contract because eventually I want to go overseas and play and live for a couple of years," Pierce told CSNNE.com.

"That's why this is a big contract for me, knowing I'm going to retire a Boston Celtic. I want to go to either Italy or Greece for a year. I think I want to be able to bring my family over to just kind of share a different experience overseas for a couple of years, before I settle into retirement."

After spending time with three different NBA teams, guard Travis Diener has decided to play in Italy.

He will play this season for Dinamo Sassari, based on the island of Sardinia.

"From everything I've heard, it's a first-class organization," Diener said. "The city itself, it's on an island, and it's absolutely beautiful. I'm looking forward to going over there."

Dinamo Sassari is moving to Italy's top division this season.

Diener had discussed possible deals with the Bulls, Cavaliers and Bucks before opting to play overseas.