Danny Green signs with Slovenian team during lockout

Spurs swingman Danny Green has signed with Slovenian team Union Olimpija for the upcoming season.

Euroleague.net reports that . There is no word whether Green has an out-clause to return to the NBA in case the lockout is settled for the team, which is based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and competes in the Premier A Slovenian League, the Adriatic League and the Euroleague.

Green tweeted that he would“if (the) organization wants him back.”

He will play with 2011 Spurs second-round draft pick Davis Bertans.  

Green showed flashes of promise late in the season for the Spurs, averaging 5.1 points per game in eight games late in the season. Additionally, Green was on the Spurs’ roster during the playoffs against Memphis, scoring five points in seven playoff minutes against the Grizzlies.

After that strong finish, Green was expected to get a legitimate shot to make next season’s roster after the lockout ends.

Green will become the second player on the Spurs’ roster at the end of the season and the 14th NBA player to commit to an overseas deal during the lockout. Backup point guard Chris Quinn on a one-year, $1 million contract. 

Backup small forward Steve Novak also has hinted that he could play in Russia or Spain, although he has not announced a new team.

Spurs’ Green headed abroad

Danny Green, the second-year swingman who finished last season with the Spurs, is headed to Europe.

Joining a swelling parade of NBA players poised to spend the lockout abroad, Green has agreed to a contract with Slovenian basketball league champion Union Olimpija.

The deal is believed to include an opt-out clause that would allow Green to return to the NBA after the lockout is over, where he would be a free agent. Green, 24, appeared in eight games over two stints with the Spurs last season, and also made four postseason appearances.

In May, before the lockout began, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spoke of Green as a player the team was eager to bring to training camp.

“I like his willingness to let it fly,” Popovich said then. “I put him in some games here and there towards the end of the season and, bam, he didn’t have any problem. He showed a little bit of head for the game. I like what I saw.”

Green is the second player off the Spurs’ 2010-11 roster to flee overseas, joining Chris Quinn, the backup point guard who last month signed a deal to play in Russia.