Report: NBA Won't Block Ilgauskas From Returning to Cleveland

Filed under: Cavaliers, Wizards, NBA Rumors

The NBA will not block a potential Cleveland homecoming for Zydrunas Ilgauskas if he's able to successfully negotiate a buyout with the Washington Wizards, a league official has informed the Associated Press.

Under current rules, a player who is traded and subsequently released or bought out is allowed to sign with another team immediately or return to his original team after sitting out for 30 days -- provided that a return to his original team was not agreed upon prior to the trade.

When reached via email on Monday, Ilgauskas' agent Herb Rudoy informed FanHouse that he hoped to negotiate a buyout "in the next 48 hours" but denied having an agreement with Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry, or any other team, in place.

"I have not heard a word from the NBA about stopping Z from playing for the Cavs should he choose to return to them," Rudoy wrote. "I had no deal with the Cavs or Ferry before the trade!"

The AP's report and Rudoy's statements run contrary to a report over the weekend by Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times, who cited an unnamed source of his own indicating the NBA would not allow Ilgauskas to return to Cleveland. But considering the rules are clear about how long a player must sit out before returning, it seems unlikely the league would (or could) prevent it unless there were indisputable proof of some kind that an agreement was in place before the trade.

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/02/22/report-nba-wont-block-ilgauskas-from-returning-to-cleveland/