To answer your first question, Luke Babbitt has been playing for BC Nizhny Novgorod in central Russia. A city where the high temperature Thursday is predicted to be zero. You might imagine he’d like to get back stateside.
And the Pelicans want to bring him back for the rest of the season, but the question is how much they are willing to pay to do it, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Former Portland Trail Blazers forward Luke Babbitt and the New Orleans Pelicans were in the final stages of reaching an agreement on a deal for the remainder of the season, one league source informed CSNNW.com…
However, BC Nizhny Novgorod isn’t facilitating that move having recently issued a statement saying they won’t sign his letter of clearance, disallowing him to sign with any other team. One person briefed on the situation tells CSNNW.com, “It’s going to be a battle” getting him out of that contract.
That statement is the sign of an international team looking for a payday. NBA teams are only allowed to offer $500,000 to get a player out of a contract, although whether they would really pay anywhere near that to get the stretch four Babbitt out of Russia remains to be seen
The Pelicans could use another stretch four off the bench with Ryan Anderson out indefinitely due to a back injury, Babbitt could fill that role. The question is how much owner Tom Benson is willing to pay in salary (minimum deal, certainly) and buyout to get Babbitt.
In his three seasons in Portland Babbitt shot 36.7 percent from three and did particularly well matched against power forwards. However, his defense kept a series of coaches from trusting him much — he could score but got abused by bigger power forwards and isn’t quick enough on the perimeter to guard NBA threes.
The Pelicans would like to give him another NBA chance, we’ll see if they get to. It’s going to come down to money, like it always does.