Let The Exodus Begin!

And so it begins.

Deron Williams, a top 20 player in the NBA and one of the top point guards, has agreed to a contract with Besiktas in the Turkish Basketball League. The team also announced the signing of Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia. Both contracts are expected to be officially announced next week.

The Deron Williams contract is for one year at $5Million, and includes an immediate out in the event that the lockout is lifted. This signing, and the framework of the contract, are expected to be the pattern for other European and Asian teams looking to sign American players. In fact, Besiktas has stated that they are not done going after NBA players, and are going to reach out to Kobe Bryant to gauge his interest in playing over there.

Now, if Besiktas sounds somewhat familiar, it is because they have employed NBA talent in the past. This is the team that briefly signed Allen Iverson last year, before he left the team. So, they do have experience in dealing with NBA players, their egos, and everything that goes along with them.

Here is where this gets interesting. Some people are suggesting that Williams is signing this contract as an attempt to show that the NBPA is serious about not accepting a deal that would eliminate any of the progress they made over the past ten to fifteen years through the collective bargaining agreements. They are thinking that Williams is doing this only as a sign of solidarity with the union, and is not serious about playing overseas. Now, what happens when the lockout drags into the season, as David Stern and company seem intent on having happen? What happens when players overseas realize that the teams will provide them housing at no cost to the players, or that they are willing to play the taxes on the contracts? What happens when they realize that the Euro is a stronger monetary unit than the dollar? What then?

Deron Williams is the first domino to fall in the game of chicken that the NBA is intent on having with it's players. Doubtless, they figured that the players would never go overseas to play, as that would be a logical choice for them to make. After all, most of the owners seem to regard their players as trained animals that perform for their enjoyment.

Williams and Pachulia were the first, and they will not be the last. The NBA had better tread carefully, or they could be in a lot of trouble.