nba lockout

Reports: Deron Williams Reaches Agreement to Play in Turkey If Lockout Continues

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 04: #8 Deron Williams of the Nets in action during the NBA match between New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors at the O2 Arena on March 4, 2011 in London, England. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Photo: Warren Little/2011 Getty Images

Deron Williams has reached an agreement with the Turkish team Besiktas that would see the Nets star play overseas this fall if the NBA lockout isn’t over. Williams, who will reportedly be paid on a monthly basis, will have an out clause in his contract with Besiktas that would allow him to return to the Nets as soon as the lockout ends. But should he get hurt while overseas, NBA officials tell the Times that it could jeopardize his Nets contract. (One assumes either he or his team will make insurance arrangements.) Still, the potential for an injury is a concern for Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, as well. To quote Henry Abbott, “There’s nothing like watching the future of your franchise take the floor night in and night out in a chippy overseas league.” [NYDN, NYT, ESPN]

Deron Williams’s Lockout Plan B: Play in Turkey