Weems signs Europe deal to avoid lockout

Sonny Weems, a swingman with three seasons of NBA experience, has signed a one-year deal to play for Lithuania's Zalgiris Kaunas rather than risk the NBA losing an entire season.

Roger Montgomery, agent for Weems, said the former Toronto Raptors playmaker was the first NBA free agent to ink a European deal without a clause that would allow him to leave when, or if, the NBA's ongoing lockout ends.

Friday, which was Weems's 25th birthday, also marked the eighth day of the NBA collective bargaining dispute. Club owners locked out players last week after their contract expired, jeopardizing the start of the 2011-2012 campaign.

Weems follows New Jersey Nets star Deron Williams in signing with a European club, but the deal Williams made with Turkey's Besiktas allows him to opt out and return to the NBA once the lockout ends.

Weems, who averaged 9.2 points and 2.6 rebounds for the Raptors last season, could play 70 games for Zalgiris Kaunas next season in Euroleague and Lithuanian league matches.

With NBA players union leaders telling players and their agents to prepare for a long shutdown and NBA commissioner David Stern saying major salary reductions are needed to help 22 money-losing clubs, the future is a worry for players who might lose an entire year of their careers waiting in vain for a season.

"There's no way I'm going sit by idly and wait for David Stern to decide if he wants to be fair," Montgomery said. "(It's) in our best interest to unpack our bags and stay the entire year."