Ilyasova Signs Big Deal With Nba’s Bucks

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Turkish power forward Ersan Ilyasova appears to have inked his first big National Basketball Association contract, agreeing to a multi-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, a league source confirmed. The agreement is reportedly for five years and as much as $45 million, although full details have not yet been released.

Bucks general manager John Hammond released a statement with regard to the situation on Sunday night. The statement said: “We are engaged in free agent negotiations with Ersan Ilyasova. We intend to enter into a player contract with Ersan once the moratorium period has ended.”

The 6 foot 10 inch Ilyasova averaged 13 points and 8.8 rebounds this past season and was one of the top power forwards on the free agent market this summer. The Bucks made a strong push to re-sign the 6-foot-10 Ilyasova, who also drew interest from the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and several teams in Europe.

Ilyasova was the 36th overall selection in the 2005 NBA draft by Milwaukee. He spent the 2005-2006 in the NBA’s Developmental League before joining the Bucks in the fall of 2006. He returned to Europe for the 2006-2007 season, playing for FC Barcelona. He then signed a 3 year contract with Milwaukee in 2007. This past season he finished second in the voting for the award for the NBA’s most improved player.

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