Nenad Krstic: Europe Not Ideal for Locked Out NBA Players


Nenad Krstic got his scratch from CSKA Moscow, and opted to leave the Boston Celtics, but the center tells the Herald that locked out NBA stars shouldn’t expect big paydays from European squads: “The former Celtics center, after signing a two-year, $9.8 million contract early in June with CSKA Moscow, is glad he found a deal early. Despite all the talk from players about playing in Europe during the lockout, Krstic believes the overseas option is vastly overrated. ‘I don’t think you will see a lot coming here,’ Krstic said yesterday from his home in Kraljevo, Serbia. ‘Europe is not in a great situation financially. There are only four or five teams now that can offer much to NBA players, and those teams right now are almost full. ‘That’s a problem for NBA players, I think,’ he said. ‘It was a reason why I had to go right away. I got maybe the best contract in Europe because of that.’ Krstic also has flexibility, in the form of a player option for his second season with CSKA. He allowed that he could end up back in the NBA after next season — perhaps even with the Celtics team that traded for him on Feb. 24, but never found a consistent role for the smooth-shooting center. Krstic stressed yesterday that his diminishing role under Celtics coach Doc Rivers was not the reason he signed with CSKA, and didn’t wait for a Celtics offer. The Russian team’s offer was simply too good to ignore, even if Krstic made more last season ($5.8 million) than he will in his first season with CSKA.”