Report: Zaza Pachulia Plans to Join Deron Williams in Turkey

A bunch of media outlets in the US are now confirming the report that Deron Williams indeed has a deal in place to hoop in Turkey during the NBA lockout, and apparently so does Zaza Pachulia. From ESPN: “Players under contract like Williams would typically need a letter clearance from FIBA — the sport’s world governing body — to play anywhere else. But the NBA Players Association has privately maintained for months that it intends to legally challenge any attempt by the NBA or FIBA to block a player such as Williams from playing elsewhere while the NBA has imposed a work stoppage. ‘If they try to stop him,’ one source said of Williams, ‘the union will fight it.’ The bigger risk for Williams is injury-related, especially after he was plagued by a wrist injury throughout the second half of last season after the Nets acquired him from Utah on Feb. 24. The guaranteed money Williams is owed by the Nets would not be protected in the event of injury overseas, meaning that either Williams or Besiktas will have to make insurance arrangements that protect him against long-term injury. NTV Spor also reported Thursday that Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia plans to join Williams with Besiktas as well.”