Part two of our top overseas free agents article will talk about players whose rights are already owned by NBA franchises through being drafted in years past. They aren't really free agents in the traditional sense, but bear with us.
Teams are increasingly using the method of stashing European players overseas as a way of saving valuable roster spots and having their draftees develop on someone elses coin. Weve discussed this method of acquiring assets repeatedly on DraftExpress through the years, in articles such as Waiting for Manu by Heather Allen and Paul Gearan, and The Secondary Market in Draft Rights by Robert Windrem. Some of the best examples of this strategy include names like Arvydas Sabonis, Peja Stojakovic, Nenad Krstic, Andrei Kirilenko and of course Manu Ginobili. Will any impact players be joining this impressive list of players this summer? From what we are hearing, the answer to that is YES.
Navarro Next?
An afternoon meeting today between Barcelonas president Joan Laporta and his homegrown superstar Juan Carlos Navarro yielded a surprising result for Spanish and international basketball fans everywhere. What seemed like a once impossible buyout sum of 10 million Euros (13.6 million dollars) has been lowered in principle by as much as 85%-- to the much more manageable sum of 2-3 million dollars depending on what kind of deal Navarro can negotiate with the Washington Wizards, or any other team that can somehow get a hold of his rights.
And negotiate he will, as sources close to the situation have told us that hes only looking for a contract similar to what Sarunas Jasikevicius signed with Indiana when he came over back in 20053 years and around 12million dollars. The 26-year old Navarro will then likely work out the exact buyout details with the team hes played for his since 1996, and now requests that he only give them a fair amount of money to go along with firm assurances that he will play just for them should he decide to return to Europe one day. Navarro already told us as much (I would play for no other club in Europe) in an exclusive interview he conducted with us back in March, which seemingly set the stage for Barcelonas announcement today.
Its rumored that Barcelona will turn around and use those 3 million dollars or so to buy Rudy Fernandez out of his contract with Joventut and try to get him in a blue-maroon uniform.
Navarro will be giving up some money to leave for the NBAhe reportedly was given a blank check with his name on it to name his price for to rest of his careerbut hes made the decision that its now or never and thats he basically accomplished everything he can at the international level, so its time to move on. He indeed spoke about looking for new challenges in the interview he conducted with DraftExpress.
Our sources in Spain tell us that the Washington Wizards have scouted him extensively this past season, even sending Ernie Grunfeld over on more than one occasion to make contact with him. They consider him a perfect fit for their system, so it shouldnt be a surprise at all to see him end up in Washington DC.
If that cant be worked out, though, then there will surely be other suitors. The Memphis Grizzlies for one, are already looking at Navarro as the perfect companion to keep Pau Gasol happy with the direction the franchise is headed. The two are close friends and play extremely well with each other as weve all seen with the defending World Champion Spanish National Team over the years. If the Wizards opt to keep Deshawn Stevenson over Navarro (they cannot feasibly sign both) then look for Gasol to put pressure on Chris Wallace and the Memphis front office to do whatever it takes to get him in a Grizzlies uniform.
Is he worth all the fuss? Read his scouting report and decide for yourself.