Donald Fehr is the choice of many NBA agents to be the NBPA’s next leader. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

NBA agents are floating prominent sports union leader Donald Fehr as the next possible head of the National Basketball Players Association, CBS Sports’ Ken Berger reported Monday.

Fehr is the current executive director of the NHL Players Association and also was the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

He would replace Billy Hunter, who was placed on indefinite leave last week by a committee organized by union president Derek Fisher. That committee formed in order to “move the organization forward” after a stinging report by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, an independent firm that was hired to investigate the union’s business practices under Hunter’s leadership.

Fehr did not comment when reached by Berger.

While representing NHL players during the recent NHL lockout, Fehr earned the notorious distinction of becoming the first players union director to lead two work stoppages. Fehr also presided over the MLB lockout of 1994-95, which canceled the entire 1994 postseason, including the World Series.

Hunter has been the head of the NBPA since 1996. Because the firm’s report found that Hunter’s contract was never “properly approved,” it said that the contract could be terminated.

National Basketball Players Association executive director Billy Hunter made $3 million last year, a $600,000 raise from the year before. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

National Basketball Players Association executive director Billy Hunter was given a 25 percent raise over the past year, including money that was paid during the NBA lockout, reports USA Today.

Hunter was paid $3 million from July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012 —  according to NBPA documents filed Friday with the U.S. Department of Labor. The 25 percent raise amounts to $600,000.

Compared to other executive directors of the other three main North American sports, Hunter makes the most. Hunter is also the longest-tenured union chief among the four major sports leagues.

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith made $2.49 million from March 1, 2011-Feb. 28, 2012, and former NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw made $4.26 million in a similar calendar year in 2006-07. Upshaw died in August 2008.

Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Michael Weiner earns $1 million per year.

Derrick Rose can dance. He just doesn’t want to.  The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player told ESPN Chicago that he didn’t join in with fellow Eastern Conference Team starters and dance during the All-Star Game’s introductions Sunday night because he didn’t feel it was the right place.

“I can dance,” Rose told ESPN Sunday. “But there’s a time and place for that and I don’t think it was right, then and there.”

“I don’t care,” Rose continued. “You just know that’s me, man. If you would have saw me out there dancing, you would have been looking at me different. I’m just me. I can’t be anybody else. I think that’s what people see.”

Rose told ESPN that he also doesn’t feel comfortable playing in exhibition games, such as the All-Star game. The 23-year-old was one of the few NBA stars who adamantly said he did not enjoy playing in pickup games with other NBA players this summer during the lockout.

The Chicago Bulls star also has been recovering from a painful back issue that had forced him to miss several games, which may have attributed to his unwillingness to dance with LeBron James and Dwight Howard. In 25 games this season, Rose is averaging 21.8 points and 7.7 assists per game.

The NBA’s opening day schedule drew large audiences, according to the Associated Press, signifying that the league may not feel long after effects of the lockout which cancelled the first few months of the season.

The AP reports that the Chicago Bulls vs. the Los Angeles Lakers game Sunday drew the third largest audience ever for a regular season game on ABC. The 6.5 overnight rating was reportedly only behind two separate Miami Heat vs. Lakers games, one occurring last season and another in 2004.

The Celtics vs. Knicks, Magic vs. Thunder, Clippers vs. Warriors and Heat vs. Mavericks games all brought in above average ratings as well.

The NBA was aided by the fact that the NFL played the majority of their games this weekend on Saturday in observance of the Christmas holiday.

The Atlanta Spirit ownership group is no longer looking to sell the Atlanta Hawks, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The Hawks were nearly sold by the group this offseason before a deal with business man Alex Meruelo fell apart in part due to the NBA lockout. The Atlanta Spirit had been attempting to shed the Hawks after recently selling the now relocated Atlanta Thrashers, however when the deal with Meruelo failed to go through NBA approval process last month, the group decided to stop all attempts to sell the team.

“At the beginning of the summer . . . I was just drained and exhausted,” Michael Gearon Jr., a member of the ownership group told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I was emotionally spent. I thought maybe a new face [as owner] might make a difference. By being able to step back over the summer, [I was able to] get recharged, get energized again.”

The Hawks tip off their 2011-12 NBA season Tuesday night against the New Jersey Nets. The club finished with a 44-38 record last season, which was the fifth best in the Eastern Conference.

Kenyon Martin has reportedly agreed to a contract buyout with Chinese club Xinjiang, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Martin’s Chinese team was considering releasing the NBA player. At this time, the details and figures surrounding the buyout are unspecified.

There has been much speculation on whether or not NBA players who left to play for Chinese Basketball Association teams during the lockout would be released. According to reports, the Chinese Basketball Association did not allow opt-out clauses in case the NBA lockout ended.

Martin’s buyout may pave the way for other NBA players Wilson Chandler, Aaron Brooks and J.R. Smith, who also signed with Chinese clubs during the lockout.

Kenyon Martin may be granted a release from his current Chinese team, which would give him the opportunity join an NBA team, according to an ESPN.com report. This could potentially open the door for other players overseas that hope to be released so that they can return to the NBA.

Martin signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers during the NBA lockout, and sources have told ESPN that the only reason the club has yet to release him would be sanctions from the league. The Chinese league implemented new rules that would prevent teams from providing an opt-out clause in case the lockout ended.

Other players — Wilson Chandler, Aaron Brooks, and J.R. Smith — have also signed with Chinese clubs, but they are reportedly eager to return to the states.

The NBA players have approved a new collective bargaining agreement, sources have told CBS Sports.

The players had a window from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 4 p.m. Thursday to vote on the new agreement via email, CBS reports.  The player’s approval of the deal now paves the way for the owners to “formally ratify the deal.”

With the approval by both sides on a new collective bargaining agreement, training camp and free-agency will begin as scheduled on Friday.

The NBA lockout lasted from July 1 until Nov. 26 when the owners and the players reached a tentative deal on an agreement. Last week the NBA Players Association voted to re-form after originally disbanding in order to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the league. Games are scheduled to begin Christmas day.

The NBA will allow teams to help pay to get players out of a contract with the Chinese Basketball Association, NBC Sports reports.

Reports suggest teams in China could let the players return to the NBA if they refund their entire salary and pay a penalty of approximately $1 million. The league will allow NBA clubs to pay up to $500,000 of the cost.

The Chinese Basketball Association runs through March and the contracts are set to expire at that time. The deals reportedly had no opt out clauses.

A Chinese official initially announced at the end of the lockout that players can either play in China and return to the NBA in March or not play, forfeit pay and return to the NBA in March.

Many NBA stars including Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin (all free agents) signed with Chinese teams during the lockout.

The NBA is reportedly considering pushing back the start of training camp from this Friday until next Monday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. 

While Friday is officially the day that training camps are scheduled to open, it is also the same day that teams will be allowed to sign free agents and make trades. Wojnarowski reports that by pushing the start date of training camps back, it will allow team’s to begin training with fuller squads.

The NBA’s preseason is scheduled to start Dec. 16, with each team playing just several games against the teams that are closest to them geographically.

The start NBA season was delayed until Dec. 25 as result of the NBA lockout

The new NBA schedule will be released Dec. 6 during a live release show on NBA TV at 7 p.m. Eastern, according to NBC Sports.

The schedule originally designed by the league will have to be revamped as a result of the NBA lockout which has wiped out the first several months of the season. Rather than pick up with scheduled games part-way through the season, the league and the players decided to create a revised 66-game schedule that would allow them to play as many games as they can between now and when the playoffs are slotted to begin.

The NBA has already announced that the season will open on Christmas Day with five games. The league had originally slotted only three games to be played on this day, but due to larger demand they have added more teams to the lineup. According to The New York Times, the league will announce the details of those games sometime today, however two games are expected to be aired on ABC and ESPN, and one is expected to be aired on TNT.

It is believed that four of the five games will be Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas, Chicago at the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State.

Images of players have returned to NBA.com and the league’s affiliate team sites for the first time in 155 days.

When the NBA locked out the players after the previous collective bargaining agreement expired on July 1, the league also moved to remove images, video, and other likenesses of current players from their websites. As a result, there have only been images of retired players, coaches, and cheerleaders on NBA.com and other team sites since the lockout began.

Images and videos were not removed from league websites during the NFL lockout because the league had negotiated its licensing deal separately from the collective bargaining agreement.

The NBA lockout lasted from July 1 until Nov. 26 when the owners and the players reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Yesterday the NBA Players Association voted to re-form after originally disbanding in order to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the league. Games are scheduled to begin Christmas day.

The NBA players union is set to re-form by Friday morning in order to ensure a timely completion of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement and to stay on schedule for the Christmas Day opening, The New York Times reports.

The players dissolved the NBPA on Nov. 14 after ownership and the players union were unable to make headway in the labor dispute. This dismantling of the NBPA allowed the players to file an antitrust lawsuit against the league. Shortly after dissolving the union, the owners and players resumed negotiations and have reached a tentative settlement. However, no new CBA can be completed or ratified until the union has been reconstituted.

To re-form the NBPA, 260 players must sign and return union cards to the American Arbitration Association by Thursday. At this time, it appears that the figure should be met on schedule.

The league is aiming for a Dec. 9 timetable to open training camp and begin an abbreviated free agency period and a Dec. 25 opening day featuring five games.

The NBA age requirement for eligibility is expected to remain at 19-years-old as part of the new labor deal, sources tell ESPN.

The league has been open about their desire to push the age limit back from 19 to 20 in an attempt to protect both teams and potential players from entering the league too early. Under current rules, players must be at least 19-years-old to play in the NBA, and in the case of those living in the United States, must be at least one year removed from high school.

It is expected that the age limit will remain at 19 for at least the first two years of the new collective bargaining agreement, ESPN reports.

Other proposed options include the option for players to declare for the draft out of high school with option to withdraw and attend college if they do not like where they are selected, much like in Major League Baseball. Another option would be revising the rookie salary scale with added incentives for staying in college longer.

Sources speculate no changes will be made in the age requirement for eligibility in an effort to complete the new CBA in time for the start of training camp, Dec. 9. At that time, all important rules pertaining to league operations must be finalized.

The NBA will open the season with five games on Christmas Day, the New York Times reports. The details of the schedule will be announced Friday.

Originally a tripleheader was scheduled for Christmas Day featuring the following three matchups: Celtics-Knicks, Heat-Mavericks and Lakers-Bulls.

No news was released on the teams now set to play in the opening five games of the season, but times were announced. The first game will begin at noon EST, followed by a 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. tip-offs.

Despite the lockout being partially lifted, the league and players union are still working to finalize the new collective bargaining agreement and ratification is not anticipated for another week.

Deron Williams played in just a handful of games for his Turkish team Besiktas before the NBA lockout ended, however that didn’t stop the team from immortalizing the New Jersey Nets point guard by retiring his number.

Williams most memorable moment overseas came when he helped his team to a 105-94 victory over Gottingen, when he scored 50 points in one of his last games with the Turkish squad. The NBA All-Star averaged just over 20 points and 6.8 assists per game during his time in Turkey.

In July, Williams became the first major star to sign with a foreign team as a result of the NBA lockout, which ended over the Thanksgiving weekend. It is believed Williams was making approximately $200,000 per month.

The NBA will have just 16-day training camps and two preseason games per team as a result of the NBA labor dispute, NBA.com reports.

The 16-day training camps are tentatively scheduled to begin Dec. 9, during which time the teams may sign free agents and prepare for the regular season, which is slated to begin on Christmas day.

Each team will play just two preseason games during the same 16-day span. It is expected that the teams will play against those teams closest to them geographically. Teams are traditionally scheduled to play between 8-10 preseason games before the beginning of a standard NBA season.

The regular season will feature each team playing 66 games over 119 days (990 games total) as opposed to the regular 82 game season played over 166 days (1,230 games total).

Chinese teams who contracted NBA players reportedly do not plan to let them out of their contracts now that the NBA labor dispute has been settled, according to a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Players such as Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin signed agreements with their teams stating that they would have to play in China through March. Wojnarowski reports that the players who signed such agreements will likely not receive releases from their Chinese clubs, and without releases, they will not be able to sign NBA contracts. The NBA, a member of FIBA, is expected to abide by the organizations international contract rules.

“They can play, get paid (in China), and return to the NBA in March. Or they can not get paid, and return to NBA (SIC) in March,” an official told Yahoo! Sports.

The NBA and the NBA Players Association came to terms on collective bargaining agreement over the Thanksgiving holiday. In the weeks prior to the agreement, it seemed very unlikely that the two side would be able to reach a consensus after the NBPA chose to decertify their union and filed anti-trust suits against the league. As a result, several players signed overseas contracts thinking there would be no NBA season.

If the owners and players finalize the reported deal ending the NBA lockout, casualties to the schedule will include out-of-conference games and rest days according to an ESPN report describing a schedule that would run from December 25 to April 26.

According to the report, each team will play just 18 out-of-conference games, meaning that not every every NBA city will host every team.

The report also indicates that every team will play at least one stretch of three straight games, and there will be fewer off days early in playoffs.

NBA owners and players are meeting this week to try to resolve the antitrust lawsuits filed by the players, according to ESPN.com.

The two sides met on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday, sources told ESPN’s Chris Broussard. They are expected to meet through Friday.

The goal was to try to end the lockout in time to start the season by Christmas, according to The New York Times.

The Times also reported that the league has a plan to have a 66-game season if a deal can be reached by Christmas. According to the Times, the two sides have picked up where they last left negotiations – discussing a proposal that includes a 50-50 split of revenues. Last week, the players rejected that proposal because of other issues and not the 50-50 split, according to the Times.

“Both sides could fairly say that it’s crazy to blow the deal up over these remaining issues,” one person tied to the talks told the Times.

It was reported earlier that both sides were talking to a potential “deal-maker” to help reach an agreement this week.

Dallas Mavericks defensive specialist DeShawn Stevenson told Yahoo! Sports that he believes that NBA Players Association executive Director Billy Hunter has done a “horrible job.”

“I felt like we should have decertified in July,” Stevenson said. “I feel like Billy Hunter is doing a horrible job because basically now [the owners] know our hand. The media knows our hand. The owners know our hand.”

Stevenson’s comments came at Drew Gooden’s Make-A-Wish charity game. The  30-year-old shooting guard also expressed his belief that the owners have not acknowledged the concessions the players have made in negotiations for a new labor agreement thus far.

“DeShawn is entitled to his opinion,” Hunter said to Yahoo! in response. “It would be much more meaningful if he were more directly involved and would have understood what fully transpired and understood the issues. I think he’d be better informed.

“I respect DeShawn’s right to say and feel what he is saying. I can’t fault that. I don’t have nothing negative about DeShawn. He said it. It’s not justified, but he has every right in the world to say what he thinks.”

Yesterday we reported Deron Williams scored 50 points for his Turkish team Besiktas last night in a 105-94 victory over Gottingen. Below is a video of his performance:

Williams was 17/23 from the field. Prior to last night’s game, Williams had averaged 20.5 points and 6.83 assists per game for his Turkish squad, who is now 6-1 with the NBA star on the floor.

In July, Williams became the first major star to sign with a foreign team as a result of the NBA lockout. It is believed Williams is making approximately $200,000 per month.

As recently as Monday, it was being reported that NBA owners and players had not spoken since the players disclaimed their union and filed lawsuits against the league. While that may be technically true, it now appears that both sides have reached out to a third party who has “an impeccable reputation as a deal-maker,” according to a report from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

Attorney Jim Quinn has tremendous experience dealing with labor disputes in professional sports in general, as well as specific experience with the NBA and commissioner David Stern.  According to Berger, Quinn was instrumental in ending the 1998-99 NBA lockout, and has represented the players  in a number of collective bargaining agreements and lawsuits over the years.

Although this is the first glimmer of hope in some time for salvaging the 2011-12 NBA season, Quinn’s comments to Berger should serve to keep any optimism in check.

“The most favorable outcome is that they somehow get together quickly and reach an agreement so that they can have a reasonable season,” Quinn said. “I hesitate to guess what most likely outcome is.

“I think both sides want a settlement,” he said. “I just don’t know whether they can get one quickly.”

According to Berger, people on both sides of the issue  believe that a deal would have to be done this week in order for the NBA to salvage their showcase Christmas Day games.

New Jersey Nets star Deron Williams scored 50 points tonight in Besiktas’ 105-94 victory over Gottingen, according to the team’s official website. 

In the victory, Williams was reportedly 17/23 from the field. Prior to tonight’s game, Williams had averaged 20.5 points and 6.83 assists per game for his Turkish squad, who is now 6-1 with the NBA star on the floor.

Williams averaged 20.1 points and 10.3 assists per game in 65 games between the Utah Jazzz and the New Jersey Nets last season. He missed the final few games of the season after undergoing surgery on his right wrist.

In July, Williams became the first major star to sign with a foreign team as a result of the NBA lockout. It is believed Williams is making approximately $200,000 per month.

Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, has challenged Michael Jordan to a game of one-on-one with the result of the NBA lockout at stake, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Come on Jordan!! Bring it. One on one. I win lockout over. I’ll beat u with my eyes closed and a in and out burger in my right hand!!” World Peace tweeted to Jordan.

World Peace is one of several players who believe Jordan has turned his back on the players with his hard-line stance on lockout negotiations.  The former Bulls’ star was believed to have led a faction of owners who did not want to offer the players a 50-50 split in basketball related income.

The six-time NBA champion and current Charlotte Bobcats owner did not respond to the tweet.

Free-agent center Tyson Chandler has turned down an offer to play basketball in China during the NBA lockout, according to ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth.

“I was considering it but I don’t think I’m going to do it,” Chandler told ESPN in a text message. “It was hard to turn down.”

Chandler, 29, helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA championship over the Miami Heat last summer. In 74 games, he averaged 10.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on the veteran-laden Dallas squad.

Chandler’s decision comes just days after NBA guard J.R. Smith injured himself in his first game with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. The former Denver Nuggets star signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Chinese team this fall in a similar fashion to other NBA players who have looked overseas for a paycheck during the NBA’s labor stoppage.

NBA players have filed an amended federal lawsuit in Minnesota after the complaint in California was withdrawn on Monday, according to ESPN. The players had filed class-action antitrust lawsuits against the league in both Minnesota and California last Tuesday.

According to ESPN, the players’ lawyer David Boies believes the case will move more quickly in Minnesota than California. The players have been locked out since July 1 and all games through Dec. 15 have been canceled.

Earlier today, the NBA Coaches Association pleaded for the owners and players to come to an agreement.

Update: NBA general counsel Rick Buchanan issued a statement in response to the move, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal: ““We assume that Mr. Boies was not happy with either the reassignment of the case from Oakland to San Francisco or the fact that the new judge scheduled the 1st conference for March 2012.”

The NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose, said Sunday at a celebrity exhibition game in Houston that he likely isn’t going to follow the path other players have taken and play overseas during the league’s labor stoppage, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m good,” Rose told the paper. “I’m just trying to stay in a nice place where you never know what will happen, or what can happen, what will happen. Now, I’m trying to keep myself in nice shape, and stay positive. Hopefully, we’ll have a season.”

Rose, 23, helped lead the Chicago Bulls to the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. He was named the youngest-ever league MVP after averaging 25 points and 7.7 assists per game for Chicago last year.

The NBA Coaches Association is pleading to both the players and the owners to come to an agreement in ending the current lockout, according to NBCSports.

Executive director of the coaches association, Michael H. Goldberg wrote a letter published in Sports Illustrated insisting that the two sides “get back to the bargaining table, and redouble their efforts to resolve the current conflict and get a deal done without delay.”

The players union recently rejected an ultimatum from the NBA and have plans to decertify in order to give players the option to lodge antitrust suits against the owners.

A man was arrested for allegedly attempting to punch Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo at a nightclub early Saturday morning, The Boston Herald reports.

Eric Valarezo, Rondo’s alleged attacker, was charged with disorderly conduct. No one was injured and Rondo did not comment on the incident to local reporters.

Club co-owner, Kevin Hayhurst, described Rondo and his entourage, which included other NBA players, as “unpersonable” and “disrespectful toward patrons” throughout the evening, according to The Sun.

NBA stars LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony are set to host a “Homecoming Tour” with no progress made in the NBA lockout, ESPN reports.

The four game tour is set to begin in James’ hometown of Akron, OH on Dec. 1. The tour will make stops in New Orleans, Chicago and New Jersey. The roster will reportedly change in each city, but the four headliners will remain constant.

“It’ll be very neat,” Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press. “First of all, this is something we talked about doing a long time ago as players. To have an opportunity to go to these different cities that we’re from, to bring basketball to them at a high level and also have a charitable component in each city and to be with the guys, it’ll be cool. It’s something we’re looking forward to.”

The tour will benefit the charitable foundations of the four NBA star headliners. Additionally, each game will have charitable aspects such as food drives and educational outreach programs.

The Homecoming Tour is sponsored by Google Plus, who will stream each of the four games lives. Ticket sales will begin on Tuesday.

Turkish team Besiktas Milangaz and Orlando Magic center Marcin Gortat are reportedly near a deal, according to reports. Gortat is a native of Poland.

The team previously met with Kevin Love, Luol Deng, and Carlos Boozer, but couldn’t lock down any of the stars. Gortat, who would be considerably cheaper, is reportedly interested.

Gortat averaged 10.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 2010-11, splitting time between Phoenix and the Orlando Magic. The Suns drafted Gortat in 2005, but then traded his rights to the Magic. He spent a couple of seasons overseas before making his debut for Orlando in 2007.

With the NBA lockout becoming tied up in union disclaimings and lawsuits, the players have plenty of time on their hands. Which probably explains why some of the league’s biggest stars are in Eugene, Ore., for the Oregon/USC game Saturday night.  Based on Twitter reports and photographs, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and LeBron James were all on the sideline for the pregame festivities.

It’s probably not coincidental that Nike owner has strong ties (and a luxury suite) with Oregon and that all four of the players are part of Nike’s Team Jordan branding campaign.

This sideline picture was tweeted by Oregonian assistant sports editor Seth Prince, who also points out that the presence of the athletes is likely a tremendous recruiting asset for Oregon:

Minnesota Timberwolves star, and NBA rebounding king, Kevin Love, is reportedly considering signing with Besiktas of the Turkish Basketball League, according to Yahoo! Sports.

“I’ve been going back and forth with Deron on it,” Love told Yahoo! Sports on Friday. “I’ll be making my decision in the next couple of days.”

Besiktas has been arguably the busiest basketball team in the world this NBA offseason. The club has already signed New Jersey Nets star point guard Deron Williams, and has also been actively luring Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng. Back in July, it was reported that Besiktas was also in hard pursuit of superstar Kobe Bryant, however it appears those talks have died down.

In 73 games last season, Love averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves. He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2010-11.

Miami Heat start Dwyane Wade told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that no matter what, he wants to play basketball at a competitive level this year, even if that means he has to play outside of the United States. The seven-time NBA All-Star has reportedly told his agent to begin exploring overseas options.

“I have gotten on the phone with my agent, saying, ‘Listen, maybe we need to peak our head on the other side and see the possibilities,’ ” Wade told the Sun Sentinel. “Obviously, to have a season and go back January 1st and to know you need 30 days once the deal is complete, something’s got to be done soon. But you’ve got to open up the possibility, so I am looking.”

Several NBA players have already made the decision to play overseas until the NBA’s labor dispute is settled, however, if Wade were to sign with a non-NBA team he would certainly be the biggest star-to-date to make the move. Currently the only All-Star playing with a club overseas is the New Jersey Nets’ Deron Williams, however there have been rumors of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant potentially signing with foreign teams.

The possibility of major NBA stars making the move to play overseas grew dramatically when the players made the decision to reject the owners’ latest collective bargaining proposal. Instead the NBPA plans to disband their union and file an anti-trust lawsuit against the league. By dragging the negotiation process into the courts, the possibility of an NBA season is very much in doubt.