By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
For one more summer, CSKA Moscow is moving faster than the rest of European clubs. After the two year contract offer to Aaron Jackson which is expected to keep him in Moscow until 2017, the Russians made also a two year offer to Kyles Hines, demonstrating to him with actions that he is is considered a key member of the team.
Both American players got their new contract offers when they arrived in the States and CSKA is asking from Hines an answer during the next days. That’s the advantage that the “army team” has compared to every other club in Europe at this point.
While the leagues in Spain, Turkey and Greece are not over yet and the top clubs have not decided their summer moves yet, CSKA is trying to “lock” the players from its current roster which are a priority for the club. And the question at this point is what Hines will do…
According to Eurohoops sources, he is willing to leave CSKA only for a return to Olympiacos. The option to return to the team in which he won two Euroleague title is on the back of his mind for quite some time. However the Greeks are still not finished with the finals, the are expected to use the team option in the contract of Othello Hunter and also they want to re-sign free agent Bryan Dunston.
Of course, the first priority for Olympiacos is keeping an other free agent, Kostas Sloukas, and time is not an ally. In theory Olympiacos would move for Hines if the team could not keep Dunston – a probable scenario because of financial reasons – but until then, it’s more than possible for Hines to sign his new contract with CSKA.