Phoenix Suns’ centre Marcin Gortat close to inking a deal with Turkish team: NBA Update
According to the latest reports, the 27 years old centre of the Phoenix Suns, Marcin Gortat, is close to sign an accord with the Turkish basketball team Besiktas Milangaz.
With the National Basketball Players Association rejecting the ‘final’ offer from the NBA and taking the matter to the court of law, the pace of NBA player exodus has picked up pace.
In the past few days, player like Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea have shown inclination in moving abroad and Gortat is the latest player in the loop. The 6 ft 11 centre had a terrific last season with
the Suns after being traded by Orlando magic late last year. After years of playing under the shadow of Dwight Howard at the Magic, Gortat finally gained prominence at the Suns and posted averages of 13.0 points per game to go along with 9.3 boards. His excellent
performances ensured that he became a starting centre at the franchise, overtaking Robin Lopez in doing so.
Gortat is not the first NBA player who has been pursued by Besiktas. The Turkish giants, who already have the services of New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams, had earlier tried to lure Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
The deal however hit the wall due to financial issues. Before Gortat, Besiktas tried to court Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love, who rejected the offer. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer are also thought to have been contacted, however a low insurance
cost in comparison to Love, Deng and Boozer worked in Gortat’s favour.
This would be a good opportunity for Gortat, as the chances of having a next NBA season are fading away with each passing day. The league and the players union are apparently done with the bargaining now want the federal courts
to decide the labour dispute. If this trend continues, the possibility of the cancellation of the whole NBA season cannot be overruled.
Moving to Turkey wouldn’t be much of stretch for Polish star, as he has almost six years of international experience, prior to joining the Orlando Magic in 2007.
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