AK47 Takes $7M Paycut For Shot At Title With Brooklyn
(AP) -- Andrei Kirilenko took a $7 million pay cut when he opted out of a deal with the Timberwolves to play for the Brooklyn Nets and Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
League followers immediately speculated that Prokhorov worked some sort of deal on the side with the Russian star to convince him to come to Brooklyn.
Kirilenko says he can't control the rumor mill. He says the reason he left Minnesota is because he couldn't get the long-term deal from new president Flip Saunders that he was assured of getting from the previous regime.
He says that after 11 seasons in the NBA, "it's time to take a shot to win a title." Kirilenko says he has no regrets about leaving money on the table.
