Former Philadelphia 76ers power forward Darius Songaila has signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million plus bonuses with the Turkish team, Galatasaray, his agent said on Friday.
Songaila The
contract does not have an escape clause should the NBA lockout end in
time for all or part of the 2011-12 NBA season, which means Songaila is
committed to spending the entire season in Turkey.
Nets point guard Deron Williams
agreed to terms with another Turkish League team, Besiktas, earlier
this week, but he does have the option to return to the U.S. if the NBA
lockout ends and games are played next season.
"Darius
didn't play a lot of minutes last season in Philadelphia and with the
uncertainty surrounding the lockout, he wanted to make sure he'd play
next season," said his agent, Mark Bartlestein.
Songaila, 33, has played for five NBA teams over 10 seasons, but he
could not crack the 76ers' young, strong front-line rotation and made
only 10 appearances last season. He plans to play for the Lithuanian
national team this summer.
Galatasaray Cafe Crown lost 4-2 in a best-of-seven series to Fenerbahce Ulker in the Turkish League finals last month.
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