While Kobe Bryant has been rumored to join Deron Williams and sign with the Turkish team Beskitas for weeks, a source close to the All-Star told Yahoo! Sports that he is nowhere near any kind of deal and is merely listening to offers for now.

Blake Griffin is not currently interested in playing overseas if the NBA has an extended work stoppage.

“I haven't really looked into going over there and playing for a team,” Griffin said in a phone interview with The Oklahoman. “But you never say never. I don't know what kind of situations are out there. We'll see how the end of this offseason shapes up, and I'll probably make a decision from there.”

Griffin, the reigning Rookie of the Year and Slam Dunk champ, said he is optimistic that the league will reach a new deal on a collective bargaining agreement so the season is not lost.

“I hope so,” Griffin said. “I know all the players want to be playing. We don't want to miss the season, so hopefully it does get done and everything goes how it's supposed to.”

Kobe Bryant's representatives have had conversations about a deal for him to play for Turkish club team Besiktas this season in Istanbul, Besiktas Coach Ergin Ataman told The Times in a telephone interview Thursday.

Ataman said the team is trying to satisfy Bryant's salary demands so that he can join New Jersey Nets All-Star point guard Deron Williams on the team. Williams signed with Besiktas about a week ago.

"We made our offer to Kobe and now we are waiting for their comments about the situation," Ataman said. "But we didn't talk about details. I think they are thinking now about our offer, and I think in the beginning of August, the first week of August, our president [Yildirim Demiroren] will be in the United States for Deron Williams' press conference and I think that they will meet to sign in USA with Kobe."

Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, didn't return repeated phone calls Thursday to speak about the negotiations Ataman talked about.

BC Khimki Moscow Region brought a familiar face back and announced a new player with the signing of Timofey Mozgov and Chris Quinn on Thursday.

Mozgov played four seasons with the club from 2006 through 2010. He averaged 6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 16 Euroleague games as a reserve in his final season with the club, 2009-10.

Quinn averaged 2.1 points in 38 NBA games last season.

Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are among the superstars who are reportedly willing to consider playing overseas.

One superstar who, at least for now, is not looking into the playing elsewhere is LeBron James, according to sources.

Already accustomed to international basketball, thanks to his 2008 Beijing Olympic experience, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul this weekend is heading to the Philippines for a two-game exhibition series, and said Wednesday he’s keeping his options open about playing overseas this fall if the NBA lockout persists.

Paul had said two weeks ago that he would keep his options open, but more likely will return to college at Wake Forest to work toward completing degree requirements. He left the Winston-Salem, N.C., school after his sophomore season in 2005 to turn pro and was drafted by the Hornets.

“I wouldn’t say this could lead to it,” Paul said of the possibility of playing in Europe next season, “but those options are open anyway. When I said that (about going back to school), I said I didn’t know. I’m open to all different things.”

Chris Warren signed with the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League. 

“I am really excited to be playing in Australia,” Warren was quoted in the team’s press release. “I have heard great things about the country and the league. I have spoken to (36ers) Coach (Marty) Clarke several times and the club sounds fantastic. Meeting the guys will be great, and once I pull on my Adelaide 36ers uniform it will be about what I can do to help the team win. I hope the Adelaide supporters are ready for an exciting year.”

Warren was a two-time All-SEC player for Ole Miss.

Serkan Erdogan has signed a two-year deal with Banvit.

Erdogan most recently played for CB Lucentum Alicante.

Banvit is attempting to reach the 2011-12 Euroleague through the qualifying rounds.

Turkish club Besiktas is in talks with Kobe Bryant's representatives about the possibility of the Los Angeles Lakers' star playing in Turkey during the NBA lockout.

"It is a fact that Kobe Bryant's managers have contacted us," coach Ergin Ataman said Thursday, a week after Besiktas signed New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams.

Ataman said Bryant was waiting for an offer from Besiktas. The club, however, said it would need a sponsor to be able to pay for Bryant's contract.

"Our board will evaluate that," Ataman said.

The Turkish team that recently reached an agreement to sign All-Star guard Deron Williams if the NBA lockout drags on has placed its pursuit of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant on hold, according to an overseas report.

Turkey's NTV Spor reported Monday that Besiktas' basketball funds have been tied up by the match-fixing scandal that has ripped through the Turkish soccer world, forcing Besiktas to search for outside funding to help with the further pursuit of NBA players.

According to NTV Spor, Besiktas was initially prepared to offer Bryant a monthly salary of $500,000. But Bryant, according to the report, is seeking a monthly salary of $1 million to join Williams. Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard earlier this month that Williams' overall deal with Besiktas is worth $5 million.