The European team with the rights to Darko Milicic, Detroit's top pick and the No. 2 overall selection in last month's draft, reduced its original $10-million buyout proposal, the Detroit Free Press reported Sunday.
Milicic, 18, and his agent, Marc Cornstein, are negotiating with Hemofarm Vrsac to buy out the remaining five years of Milicic's contract so he can begin his NBA career next season. The Pistons and representatives for the 7-foot-1 forward hope that a deal is reached soon.
Under NBA rules the team drafting a foreign player may pay only $350,000 to the overseas team that holds the player's rights. The player is responsible for the rest. Under the NBA's collective-bargaining agreement, Milicic, as the second pick in the draft, can earn about $2.996-million in the coming season.
Milicic wants to spread the payments over several years.
In late June, Hemofarm said it would file a lawsuit against any NBA team that drafted Milicic and tried to sign him. Milicic has played for Hemofarm since 2000.
BUCKS: Free-agent guard Gary Payton has eliminated returning to the team, the Los Angeles Times reported. "Milwaukee," said his agent, Aaron Goodwin, "is not an option."
GRIZZLIES: First-round draft picks Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones signed three-year contracts.
Bell, the 16th overall selection, can make no more than $3.45-million in his first three years under the league's sliding pay scale for first-rounders. Jones, taken 20th, can make no more than $2.85-million.
Memphis has the option to sign each player to a fourth year, the team said.
Both guards were drafted by Boston, but the Celtics traded their rights for the rights to guard Marcus Banks and center Kendrick Perkins.
LAKERS: Former Illinois forward Brian Cook, the team's first-round pick, signed. Terms were not released.
Cook, the 24th overall selection, was named third team All-America and Big Ten player of the year.
CONNECTICUT 62, NEW YORK 58: The host Sun erased a 16-point second-half deficit for the second time in three days. Shannon Johnson and Nykesha Sales sparked the Sun's second-half rally, scoring six each over the final 3:27. Connecticut rallied from 16 down to beat Sacramento 69-67 Friday.
"I don't want it to be that way every night," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "I'll take the win every night, but I don't want to have to rally from that far down. It's too much to expect every night."
INDIANA 85, DETROIT 54: Tamika Catchings scored 17 for the host Fever, who set a franchise record for steals. Catchings had six of the Fever's 20 steals, as the Shock turned the ball over 26 times. Catchings also had three of Indiana's 11 3-pointers, which tied a franchise record. Kristin Rasmussen scored 16 and Natalie Williams had 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals for Indiana. The Shock, which was led by Sheila Lambert's 14 points, took its only lead after Deanna Nolan's two free throws opened the scoring.
