Forget LeBron James to Greece, today's hot rumor is Kobe Bryant to Russia! Asked if, like many of his fellow NBA stars, he would consider moving to Europe to play, Bryant answered very straight-forwardly. "Of course. By the way, are you the owner of a Russian team? It can be arranged for $40 million per year."Okay, straight forward or not, Bryant was almost certainly having some fun with Sport Express Daily, the Russian pub that reported his quote today. But the question remains, when will the first bona fide All-Star follow in the footsteps of Josh Childress, Nenad Krstic, Carlos Delfino and all the other rotation guys who jumped overseas this summer.
Jason Kidd alluded to the possibility of finishing his career in Europe three or four years down the line, but Bostjan Nachbar, who turned down the Nets in favor of a three-year deal with Dynamo Moscow, thinks his former teammate might join him even sooner.
"Taxes are lower in Europe and wages depend on the euro, which is much more stable than the dollar. If dollar rates don't stop falling many famous players will move from the US to Europe. And I do not think Jason Kidd was joking when he said that next year he could join a European club."Think about it: Kidd is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him just over $21 million this season, and there's absolutely no chance that he'll ever sign a contract that pays him that much in the NBA ever again. But might there be a Russian billionaire out there willing to splurge simply for the sake of making a name for his team? It certain seems possible (and, who knows, it just might help in the LBJ sweepstakes a year later).
