Report: Vujacic considering Europe

Jul 25, 2008 - 8:08 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Los Angeles Lakers backup guard Sasha Vujacic could be following Josh Childress to Europe.

Vujacic is prepared to sign a contract with a European team in the next few days if he does not receive an acceptable offer from the Lakers, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

According to the Times, Vujacic, who made $1.76 million in 2007-08, is seeking a multi-year contract from the Lakers for about $5 million per season.

The Lakers presented Vujacic with a qualifying offer of $2.6 million after the season, making him an unrestricted free agent. He has not received an offer sheet from another NBA team.

Los Angeles made a qualifying offer to another of its free agents, Ronny Turiaf. However, they chose not to match the four-year, $17 million contract Turiaf received from the Golden State Warriors.

On Wednesday, Childress announced that he was leaving the Atlanta Hawks to sign a three-year, $20 million contract with Olympiakos, a Greek club.

"We are aware of the global market as it has changed over the years," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told the Times. "It was our desire to bring Sasha and Ronny back. It continues to be our desire to bring Sasha back. However, with the ever-changing market place that Europe has become, a player, to cover his bases, can negotiate with his NBA team and, at the same time, have a plan that allows him the possibility of going overseas."

A native of Slovenia, Vujacic is coming off the best season of his career as he played a key role on a team that reached the NBA Finals. He averaged 8.8 points in just under 18 minutes per game.