Andrei Kirilenko: "My chances of joining Brooklyn are minimal"

In an interview with Sport-Express in Moscow -- translated by Rush'n Hoops -- Andrei Kirilenko talks about his free agency, and specifically was asked about his chances for playing for the Nets. He called them "minimal." Kirilenko opted out the second year of his two-year, $20 million deal with the Timberwolves in hopes of a longer term commitment elsewhere.

He was asked by Pavel Osipov of Sport-Express, "And what would you say about Brooklyn which is owned by Mikhail Prokhorov and is bringing in superstars like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?" Here's his response...

"I am really happy to see this trade, I hope it happens. Then both sides benefit. Brooklyn gets the players who can get them to the very top, and Boston is working for its future.

For me, a lot of opportunities are attractive. There are 30 almost equally strong teams in the NBA. Well, maybe there are 10 where I wouldn’t like to play. And it is very difficult to choose between 20 other teams. Somewhere there is a great roster, another team is located in a great city, the third one has a super-coach, fourth is a brilliant organization. And so on.

Still, my chances of joining Brooklyn are minimal. The roster is almost complete. Though… Anything is possible in the NBA.

And anyway, I am going to root for all the teams that have something to do with Russians – Minnesota, Denver, Cleveland, and Brooklyn. Well, and for Utah – just like I always used to. (Laughs)."

Meanwhile, there are reports that the Spurs are interested in AK-47. It's hard to imagine a better fit for him or them.

• Andrei Kirilenko on 2013 free agency, Brooklyn and Sergey Karasev - Alexander Chernyk - Rush'n Hoops