Earlier this off-season Andrei Kirilenko opted out of the final year of his contract, set to pay him $10.2 million in 2013-14 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and took a two year contract with the Brooklyn Nets (one year plus an option) that pays him just $3.18 million per year.
The optics, the leagues most high profile Russian player, signing for a $7 million paycut with a team owned by Russian billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov were not good. According to the New York Post, the move caused at least one NBA-owner, and potentially more, to ask the league to investigate if there was any impropriety or side-deals involved with the signing.
The NBA launched an investigation, but could not find any evidence of wrong-doing. It would appear that Kirilenko is just the latest in a line of free agents to overestimate their worth in the marketplace and gamble and lose when opting out of a deal.
“When there is a formal complaint, the league will look into it,” said one league official who spoke in generalities to the Post and refused comment on the Kirilenko issue.
“It was a very, very thorough investigation,” another source maintained. “They checked everything.”
Kirilenko’s agent stated that the reason for the low value deal was because other teams could not execute complicated sign-and-trade deals needed to clear cap space for his client. He also indicated that Kirilenko took less money to play for a contender.
Kirilenko, 32, has spent 11 seasons in the NBA. He spent his first ten years playing for the Utah Jazz before spending 2011-12 with CSKA Moscow, signing there while the NBA was locked out. He returned to the NBA this season with Minnesota signing a deal with the club last July. He averaged 12.4 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting and had 5.7 rebounds a game for the Timberwolves last season. This was close to his career averages of 12.4 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting and 5.6 rebounds per game.
For the Nets this continues their major load up to take on the Miami Heat and challenge for the NBA title. Earlier in the off-season the Nets acquired Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics. Added to a lineup that includes Derron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brooks Lopez, the Nets look like major contenders in the NBA’s Eastern Conference in 2013-14. That is if it all comes together as planned.
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