Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
Omri Casspi #18 of the Sacramento Kings dunks the ball over Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on December 28, 2015, in Oakland, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP)
Omri Casspi, who in 2009 became the first Israeli basketball player to play in the NBA, is due to be traded from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a bigger deal centered on all-star DeMarcus Cousins.
The Kings dealt Cousins and Casspi to New Orleans in exchange for Tyreke Evans, 2016 first-round draft pick Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and first- and second-round draft picks this summer, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.
Casspi rose to stardom at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel’s most prominent club.
In July 2014, he was traded to the Pelicans as part of a three-team trade, but was later waived. He then returned to Sacramento in September 2014, re-signing in July 2015.
Casspi is averaging 5.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game over 22 games this season.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Omri Casspi posing for photos with kids at Amare Stoudemire’s basketball camp in Jerusalem, August 8, 2016. (Andrew Tobin)
Reports said it was uncertain whether he would get to play with the Pelicans or would have his contract bought out, given that the attraction of the deal is Cousins.
If he does play, he might fill Galloway’s role as the backup shooting guard, CBS said.
AP contributed to this report.
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
