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Dear God No!
Cats' Boykins latest NBA player to bolt for Europe, signs $3.5 million deal
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: August 5, 2008, 6:33 PM ET
After a decade in the NBA, Earl Boykins has joined the growing legion of veteran role players unable to resist the lure of European riches.
Boykins' Cleveland-based agent, Mark Termini, announced Tuesday that Boykins has signed a one-year contract with Italy's Virtus Bologna. The deal, according to Termini, is worth more than $3.5 million for the 2008-09 season, which would make the 5-foot-5 guard Italy's highest-paid player.
Since free agency began July 1, Boykins is the ninth player who worked in the NBA last season to bypass the tight free-agent market for role players at home and head overseas. Yet he's just the third -- following Josh Childress and Carlos Arroyo -- who played almost exclusively in the NBA before considering interest from abroad.
Childress spurned a five-year offer worth an estimated $33 million from the Atlanta Hawks to sign a three-year deal worth at least $20 million from Greek power Olympiacos. With the Orlando Magic signing Anthony Johnson as Jameer Nelson's new backup, Arroyo on Monday chose to sign a three-year deal with Israeli giants Maccabi Tel-Aviv that will pay him $2.5 million net per season, with Maccabi covering Arroyo's taxes.
Childress and Arroyo both have an escape provision in their contracts which enables them to return to the NBA after each of the next two seasons if they choose.
All of the other players to sign with European clubs in recent weeks -- Serbia's Nenad Krstic, Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa, Argentina's Carlos Delfino and Slovenia's Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec -- played for top-level teams in Europe before coming to the NBA.
Boykins had a breakout season offensively in 2006-07, averaging nearly 15 points per game for Denver and Milwaukee. But an equally limited free-agent market for rotation players in the summer of 2007 -- after he opted out of the final year of his contract, worth $3 million, with the Bucks -- prompted Boykins, 32, to wait until late January before signing with the Charlotte Bobcats.
Boykins wound up playing in 36 games for the Bobcats, but he averaged just 5.1 points and shot below 40 percent from the floor (.355) for the first time since establishing himself as a full-time NBA player with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2001-02.
According to Termini and co-agent Andy Bountogianis, Boykins' deal includes income from Bologna's sponsorship and marketing arms, which is not an option for NBA players because of salary-cap restrictions.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3520898
Dear God No!
Wow. This trickle is pretty steady.
This is officially a problem, the NBA had better be worried
That little bas !
Tau still has room for one more American player on their roster. I thought it was going to be Boykins but that option is now off the table.
Back in the day Dominique Wilkins went overseas for more money also.
Who is the shortest guy in the NBA now?
Even though he never won a ring Im still happy he got to win the Euro championship in 96.
Nate the Great
They have offers out to Josh Powell, Carl Landry, and some American point guard I forget which one.
He win Euroleague and Greek Cup in 96 with PAO. He did not win Greek championship though. But we love Dominique in PAO forever he was player bring us our first Euroleague championship.
. Thanks I really appreciate that.
Earl Boykins,
3.5 million?
These Euros sure are some dumb mother ers.
its not stupidity with the dollar the way it is. All these Americans that bolt do stand to lose money if the dollar can somehow rebound
Most international contracts I think are no longer than 3 years. So it would be a risk if the dollar rebound but it wouldn't keep them trapped forever.
Plus the chances of a dollar rebound at the moment look very low.
nate robinson
Not true at all.
The dollar has strengthened slightly lately.
ITs called the invisible economic hand.
The economy has to slow down to go back up again.
ooooh OMG what are we going to do? Losing suck great ing talent!?!!??
This guy is horrible and i forgot all about him, let him go.
The long term problem that this causes is that teams from Europe can offer more than the NBA max contracts and offer to pay all income taxes as well. So if Lebron, Wade etc wanted to get really greedy they could probably make more across the Atlantic...
This guy is horrible and i forgot all about him, let him go.
So what? We all know thats never gonna happen, So just because Lebron will supposedly Consider it were supposed to nervous? Of course they will all consider it, but if anyone honestly believes these guys are going anywhere but this country then they are fooling themselves.
Fascinating, this is getting to be a disaster for the NBA.
Italy most basketball teams are poor. Italy is one of poorer leagues for player salary. How many times this need be explain in this forum?boykins is italy's HIGHEST PAID player
Rich European clubs (ones that can buy NBA players like Childress) is:
Real Madrid - Spain
FC Barcelona - Spain
CSKA Moscow - Russia
Khimki - Russia
Dynamo Moscow - Russia
Tryumph Lybersty - Russia
Panathinaikos Athens - Greece
Olympiacos Piraeus - Greece
There is many other team could afford it but owners will never consider it at this time. From list above these is ONLY teams with owners will actual give such offers now instead of just consider it.
CSKA Moscow - Russia
Tryumph Lybertsy - Russia
Khimki - Russia
Dynamo Moscow - Russia
Olympiacos Piraeus - Greece
Panathinaikos Athens - Greece
When people is make rumors about players like Wade, Lebron, Kobe go to Europe ONLY teams as of now with owners will make them offers they want is CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos Athens.
$3.5 million net is very big contract for Italy, especially for team that is not even in Euroleague or Eurochallenge but just in Italy compe ions.
Im Little Earl a young man with a big heart trust me when I say when I come back I will give you all 1000000.00 each
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