Over the past month many NBA teams have been busy improving their rosters through free agency and analyzing possible trade scenarios. Some free agents were over-payed, others had to settle for less than they were looking for and some are still on the market. However, for those who did not have success finding the right deal, Europe has become an attractive alternative. More specifically, Euroleague teams are often able to offer better deals due to strong financial backing, the struggling US Dollar and in some cases significantly lower taxation.

Forward Linas Kleiza and shooting guard von Wafer both fall into the aforementioned group, as they were unable to agree on a deal with their respective clubs. Thus, their agents took a look across the pond and gathered offers from various European basketball teams. The most lucrative offer was made by the Greek powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus who are among the best in the Euroleague and already acquired former NBA player Josh Childress last year. According to sources close to the club, Kleiza and Wafer signed two year deals worth approximately $12 million, including the option to opt out after the first year.

After being drafted in 2005 by the Portland Trailblazers, Lithuanian power-forward Linas Kleiza played four years for the Denver Nuggets. Being a valuable role player he saw his fair share of playing time and averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2008-09. However, the team around Carmello Anthony was unable to offer Kleiza any significant amount of money after resigning backup center Chris Andersen. In contrast, von Wafer did play very few minutes prior to last year’s campaign when he suddenly became an important part of the injury plagued Houston Rockets. Appearing in 63 regular season games, von Wafer managed to put up 9.7 points, 1.8 boards and 1.1 assists in just 19 minutes per contest. Whether Kleiza and von Wafer will be satisfied with playing in Greece remains to be seen, but financially speaking they certainly made the right call.

You can watch all games of Olympiacos Piraeus right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of live NBA streaming.