🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Looked at a few player's overseas pro careers. They all change teams and countries frequently. What makes stays with foreign teams so short?

@jaybate-1.0

The issue abroad is agency. Players don't have the same level of representation. This has been going on forever there like this. Teams aren't used to signing guys for long contracts. And their experience with American players isn't 100% perfect. Many Americans have skipped on contracts for various reasons. It is a gamble signing American players. Big time.

Also, the best American players are often subject to some pretty intense bidding. Most foreign teams have a limit on the number of American players they can have, so a very good US player (a Keith Langford type) is extremely valuable. Changing teams could mean a very nice raise.

Thx to both of you for responding.

Didnt Langford stick with one team for a while? Im sure that was an outlier.

@Lulufulu Langford's never been with a team more than 2+ seasons. He did sign a 4 year extension with his team in Moscow in 2011 after he'd been with them 2 years, but struggled to recover from and injury and they cut him a couple of months after signing the extension.

@Texas-Hawk-10

That's another great point I failed to mention. European teams are unlikely to carry an injured player, particularly an injured US player. Their roster limitations restrict how many "imports" they can have, so if a US player can't play, he's taking up one of their most valuable roster spots without providing any production. Any injury that will result in significant time off could lead to a player being cut to open the spot for a healthy US player.