Earl Boykins is headed to Europe.

[JSD]

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

After a decade in the NBA, Earl Boykins has joined the growing legion of veteran role players unable to resist the lure of European riches.


Boykins' Cleveland-based agent, Mark Termini, announced Tuesday that Boykins has signed a one-year contract with Italy's Virtus Bologna. The deal, according to Termini, is worth more than $3.5 million for the 2008-09 season, which would make the 5-foot-5 guard Italy's highest-paid player.




Boykins


Since free agency began July 1, Boykins is the ninth player who worked in the NBA last season to bypass the tight free-agent market for role players at home and head overseas. Yet he's just the third -- following Josh Childress and Carlos Arroyo -- who played almost exclusively in the NBA before considering interest from abroad.


Childress spurned a five-year offer worth an estimated $33 million from the Atlanta Hawks to sign a three-year deal worth at least $20 million from Greek power Olympiacos. With the Orlando Magic signing Anthony Johnson as Jameer Nelson's new backup, Arroyo on Monday chose to sign a three-year deal with Israeli giants Maccabi Tel-Aviv that will pay him $2.5 million net per season, with Maccabi covering Arroyo's taxes.


Childress and Arroyo both have an escape provision in their contracts which enables them to return to the NBA after each of the next two seasons if they choose.


All of the other players to sign with European clubs in recent weeks -- Serbia's Nenad Krstic, Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa, Argentina's Carlos Delfino and Slovenia's Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec -- played for top-level teams in Europe before coming to the NBA.

Boykins had a breakout season offensively in 2006-07, averaging nearly 15 points per game for Denver and Milwaukee. But an equally limited free-agent market for rotation players in the summer of 2007 -- after he opted out of the final year of his contract, worth $3 million, with the Bucks -- prompted Boykins, 32, to wait until late January before signing with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Boykins wound up playing in 36 games for the Bobcats, but he averaged just 5.1 points and shot below 40 percent from the floor (.355) for the first time since establishing himself as a full-time NBA player with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2001-02.

According to Termini and co-agent Andy Bountogianis, Boykins' deal includes income from Bologna's sponsorship and marketing arms, which is not an option for NBA players because of salary-cap restrictions.



Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3520898

[Bankshot]

This is another guy, like Ben Gordon, who passed up a decent contract with his team, thinking he was worth more than he really is, and got burned.

[JSD]

This is another guy, like Ben Gordon, who passed up a decent contract with his team, thinking he was worth more than he really is, and got burned.

Same agent I wonder?

[BigDanz2000]

I am so tired of Europe stealing our players!! first Josh Childress and now Earl Boink Boink Boykins?!?!

Sound the Alarm!
I am up in Arms!
David Stern has to expand into Europe with 10 more teams by the start of next season!
Im not sure what hurts more, a paper cut or the NBA losing its most lovable "little person" Boink Boink.

Earl Boykins? seriously? who cares.

[Kwhit10]

So Boykins is Italy's highest payed player...Says a lot about the quality.

[JSD]

I am so tired of Europe stealing our players!! first Josh Childress and now Earl Boink Boink Boykins?!?!

Sound the Alarm!
I am up in Arms!
David Stern has to expand into Europe with 10 more teams by the start of next season!
Im not sure what hurts more, a paper cut or the NBA losing its most lovable "little person" Boink Boink.

Earl Boykins? seriously? who cares.

It's not about the player it's about the trend of mediocore players jumping ship. This could eventually have even more of a watered down effect (redz?) on the NBA

[jgod213]

When does the season begin/end for Euro teams?

It's going to be extremely interesting to see what these former NBAers do at the end of their respective Euro-club's season - specifically whether the trend is to opt out and come back to the States or continue with their contracts.

Once we see what trend emerges, this emmigration of NBAers could end up being a side note in NBA history, or this could be just the beginning of a large scale problem. 

Personally, I get the feeling that a lot of these guys (Boykins and the rest of the former NBA role players) are going to relish the chance to lead a club and be the face of a franchise...who wouldn't?  Maybe a guy like Josh Childress will quickly get the itch to come back to the NBA and be a main guy, but you would think that more players like Boykins (older players who are now fringe NBA players) would follow suit for one last hurrah.

[guava_wrench]

I am so tired of Europe stealing our players!! first Josh Childress and now Earl Boink Boink Boykins?!?!

Sound the Alarm!
I am up in Arms!
David Stern has to expand into Europe with 10 more teams by the start of next season!
Im not sure what hurts more, a paper cut or the NBA losing its most lovable "little person" Boink Boink.

Earl Boykins? seriously? who cares.

It's not about the player it's about the trend of mediocore players jumping ship. This could eventually have even more of a watered down effect (redz?) on the NBA

I don't yet agree because there are more players being produced internationally. The top tier foreign players more than offset the Americans who left. Krstic and Navarro weren't really from here anyway. Boykins could barely get minutes.

I do, however, agree in the sense that in the long term, other leagues will be financially competitive with the NBA and will be viable options. Other countries already pay more for top women's basketball stars. Boykins leaving adds nothing to the story since he is so borderline. Childress is the only really interesting move.

[BigDanz2000]

The trend has always been there, it just that the biggest name to ever go over there is Josh Childress. And he isnt a big name here in the NBA.  Look the media is trying to get all torn up about this, making seem like the NBA ship is sinking.  Its not.  If you go check out the Euro Rosters you will see former NBA players on nearly every roster.  Big deal. 

Can you name the last 5 Euro league Champions?
I bet in Europe they could name the last 5 NBA champions.

little recognition for all that Euro Dollar.

Im sure for the first few games of the Euro season we will get updates about Josh Childress, than after that, we will be left in obscurity, having to check the Web on our own.

Bye Bye Boykins
This guy wasnt even on an NBA roster until January of this past season. 

[BballTim]

I am so tired of Europe stealing our players!! first Josh Childress and now Earl Boink Boink Boykins?!?!

Sound the Alarm!
I am up in Arms!
David Stern has to expand into Europe with 10 more teams by the start of next season!
Im not sure what hurts more, a paper cut or the NBA losing its most lovable "little person" Boink Boink.

Earl Boykins? seriously? who cares.

It's not about the player it's about the trend of mediocore players jumping ship. This could eventually have even more of a watered down effect (redz?) on the NBA

  This hasn't happened a lot recently, but it's not a new phenomenon, is it? This was happening in the 90s. Teams would load up with some max or near max contract guys and fill in around them with min or near min players. The "mid-level" types didn't have much of a market so some of them started going overseas. Obviously the league survived.

[BballTim]

The trend has always been there, it just that the biggest name to ever go over there is Josh Childress. And he isnt a big name here in the NBA.   

  Didn't players like Bob McAdoo or Nique go over there?

[Kwhit10]

Yea Nique went in like 96 or so, and it was a big deal.  I have a guy who works in my lab who is from greece, and they were like he was the greatest bballer I've ever seen over there.