Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant To Join Deron Williams in Turkey?

According to a tweet by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, Kobe Bryant was close to signing a deal with with the Turkish basketball club Besiktas.

Whether or not the deal gets finalized remains to be seen as the Turkish Sports Club has had their bank accounts frozen due to a soccer match-fixing scandal.

Besiktas is the same club that has employed the likes of former NBA players Allen Iverson, Khalid El-Amin, Donnel Harvey and Lonny Baxter, to name a few.

Reports of Besiktas coming close to signing Bryant surfaced just nine days after Besiktas had agreed to a deal with New Jersey Nets superstar Deron Williams. Beskitas has also reportedly agreed to terms with Atlanta Hawks backup center Zaza Pachulia.

The deal would have been worth approximately $450,000 a month.

News of yet another NBA superstar—especially Bryant, who is arguably the most popular player in the world—signing with a European team would certainly have sent a message to the owners of the NBA franchises.

Even if Bryant doesn't ever end up signing with Besiktas, both sides were apparently willing and ready to make it official.

The players and the players union alike are obviously not scared of sitting out an entire season. There are a number of different leagues and options around the world that would allow the players to stay in shape and continue improving.

Labor negotiations between the players union and the owners resumed yesterday, Friday, July 15, 2011.