Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is in the early stages of contract negotiations with the same Turkish team that has signed Deron Williams and has been pursuing Kobe Bryant, according to Durant’s agent.

Agent Aaron Goodwin told ESPN.com on Tuesday night that he has met with officials from Turkish club Besiktas and has likewise begun exploring opportunities for Durant in Spain and Russia. Goodwin added that playing in China is not something Durant is considering at this time.

“The Turkish option is very intriguing,” Goodwin said. “We’re looking at other countries as well. Kevin hasn’t agreed to play anywhere yet, but we’re looking for the best fit.”

The Turkish newspaper VATAN has reported that Besiktas, if ultimately rejected by Bryant after weeks of trying to get the Los Angeles Lakers’ star swingman to commit to join New Jersey’s Williams at the Istanbul club, would then shift its focus to trying to sign Durant to play with Williams in the event of an extended lockout.

Goodwin said that another one of his clients, Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford, has also attracted interest from teams in Turkey.

“The Turkish teams,” Goodwin said, “have been real aggressive.”

Two weeks ago at a WNBA game in Tulsa, Durant told the Associated Press that he’s “about 50-50” on playing overseas if the lockout, as expected, delays the start of the season.

ESPN.com reported last week that Nike hopes its top endorsers, such as Bryant and Durant, will play in China if they play anywhere else this season because of the vast marketing potential NBA stars generally command in Asia. Bryant’s longstanding ambivalence about Besiktas’ courtship has been widely interpreted as a signal that he’d prefer China to Turkey, but Durant has apparently adopted the opposite stance, focusing on teams in Europe.

Yet the challenge for any NBA player seeking employment overseas during the lockout, no matter where they’re looking or what their stature, is overcoming the recent declaration from FIBA (basketball’s governing body) that any player with an existing NBA contract must make a signed declaration upon signing with a foreign team to return to the NBA as soon as the lockout ends. Throughout Europe and in China, top teams have expressed dismay with FIBA’s stance, worried that the disruption of bringing in even big names who could be summoned back to the United States at any time would create disruptions that outweigh the short-term pluses attached to signing well-known American stars.

Jordi Bertomeu, president and CEO of the Euroleague, told Sports Illustrated’s web site on Tuesday that he doesn’t expect the majority of teams in the Euroleague (Europe’s highest level of team competition) to hand out contracts with the FIBA-mandated NBA release clause, not even for NBA All-Stars. The Chinese Basketball Association is likewise considering the implementation of a rule that would outright forbid its teams from offering contracts with NBA opt-outs.

“Our clubs need to have stable rosters,” Bertomeu told SI.com. “They need to know how long they will be able to employ the player. No team will sign a player for only two or three months, or for an uncertain period of time.”

WRITTEN BY Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

Follow Marc Stein on Twitter: @stein_line_HQ

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