International Rumors: Marbury, Freeland, Koponen

A number of this morning's items of note relate to overseas players, so let's round them up in one place:

  • Stephon Marbury has high praise for the Chinese Basketball Association and doesn't intend to return to the NBA even if there's interest, according to Sina.com (Chinese link; translation via HoopsHype).
  • British forward Joel Freeland, who was picked by the Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2006 draft, would cost $1.5MM for Portland to buy out, according to Cesar Nanclares of TuBasket.com (Spanish link; translation via HoopsHype). A number of international clubs are also interested in Freeland, though his buyout to play elsewhere would be even more expensive ($3.1MM).
  • Nets' 2011 second-rounder Bojan Bogdanovic confirmed to Kosarka.org (Croatian link) that he met with GM Billy King, but says coming to the NBA isn't up to him, according to HoopsHype.
  • Earlier this week, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passed along an interview between Petteri Koponen and Il Corriere di Bologna, in which the point guard said he expects to talk to the Mavericks this summer. The Mavs own the rights to the 30th pick in the 2007 draft, and the Dallas Morning News looks at the possibility of Koponen coming to Dallas for next season.
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