By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Alexey Shved will be considering a return to the NBA, according to Khimki Moscow general manager Pavel Astakhov.
In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Pavel Astakhov mentioned that Shved will accept an offer by an NBA club if he receives guarantees that he will have a satisfactory role on the team.
“I think that if he has any serious proposal from the NBA – and it’s not even about money but about his role on the team – then it won’t be easy to keep him,” Astakhov said. I think that even though Shved was already there, he will still accept the challenge but with certain guarantees from the club and the coach. If he doesn’t receive such an offer, I see no reason why he should switch from the team where he’s the absolute leader, to another European one. In any case, it’ll be his decision.”
Shved, 31, played 182 games in the NBA from 2012 to 2015 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and the New York Knicks before returning to EuroLeague by signing a three-year deal with Khimki. He extended his contract for two more years in 2018.
Astakhov is clear that Khimkii wants to keep Shved on board. The Russian team’s star player becomes a free agent this summer and he has already been targeted by Zenit St. Petersburg.
“He [Shved], already realized that this is his club. Here he should be comfortable. He’s our leader: even when we are acquiring new players, we sometimes consult with Alexey. That is, he’s not just a highly paid player but part of our team and a very important one. Of course, we want him to stay with Khimki and continue to bring joy to us and our fans with his game. At the moment, preliminary negotiations have already been held with his representatives. Now, due to the overall situation in EuroLeague, we are all on pause. If we finish the season, we will immediately proceed to further negotiations.