Israeli cager Casspi signs $6 million deal with Kings

NBA swingman seals two-year deal to stay with Sacramento

By AFP, AP and ToI Staff 15 July 2015, 1:28 pm

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Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi drives to the basket between Minnesota Timberwolves players during the second half of an NBA game in Sacramento, California, on April 7, 2015. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Israeli swingman Omri Casspi signed a deal Tuesday with basketball’s Sacramento Kings, the NBA club announced Tuesday.

Casspi, 27, reportedly signed a two-year contract worth $6 million.

He averaged 19.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists in eight late-season games last April for the Kings, although his full season averages were only 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Vlade Divac, a retired Serbian star now serving as the Kings’ vice president of basketball operations, announced the deals for Kings boss Vivek Ranadive, the NBA’s first India-born club owner.

Casspi became the first Israeli to play in the NBA in 2009, when he was drafted up by the Kings in a first-round pick.

Oded Kattash, head coach of the Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team, agreed to play with the New York Knicks in 1998, but a lockout prevented him from actually playing professional basketball in the United States.

Casspi, who was born in Holon, near Tel Aviv, was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He later played for the Houston Rockets, and was traded to and then waived by the New Orleans Pelicans before returning to the Sacramento Kings in 2014 as a free agent.

Over six seasons, Casspi has career averages of 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20.8 minutes per game. The Kings drafted him 23rd overall in 2009.

Casspi had several big games after George Karl took over as coach in February.