Then Memphis Grizzlies forward Omri Casspi in action during an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, December 2, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP/Matt Slocum)
Israeli forward Omri Casspi is reportedly poised to return to local basketball powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv after a decade-long career in the NBA.
According to a report Sunday on Israel’s Sport 5 channel, Casspi, 31, has agreed on contract terms with the Tel Aviv squad and is expected to sign a deal in the coming days.
The three-year contract is for $3.2 million, the report said.
He is expected to be named team captain upon signing with Maccabi and will reportedly receive a job at the club after the contract expires.
In this photo from January 24, 2008, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Omri Casspi, center, is seen during a Euroleauge group B basketball match against AJ Milano, in Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
Before he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2009 and became the first Israeli to ever play in the NBA, Casspi starred for Maccabi and helped it win a league title in the 2008-9 season.
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Maccabi is the Israeli Basketball Premier League’s all-time winningest team and has been EuroLeague champion six times.
Over his 10-year NBA career, Casspi played for the Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.
Casspi was left off the Warriors’ roster for the 2018 postseason, during which the team won the NBA Finals, but later received a championship ring.
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He last played for the Grizzlies, but was released before the end of the season due to injury.
He averaged 7.9 points and four rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game.
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