Talks between the Adelaide 36ers and three-time All-NBL first team member Casper Ware have broken down and it seems we won’t be seeing dynamic guard return as the news he has signed with European powerhouse club CSKA Moscow for the remainder of the VTB United League season being released today.

Previously playing for BC Enisey in Russia’s VTB United League, Ware had been in discussions with the Adelaide 36ers about securing a deal for the rest of the 2021-22 season last week but had also warned the team they would have to move quickly as he was making a decision on where to sign within the next few days.

“Definitely Adelaide is the team I’ve been talking to and showed interest to. We’re trying to get something done, but it has to happen quick” Ware told ESPN.

The 32-year-old and the 36ers who were both keen to make the deal happen couldn’t agree on the financials which also included a contract buy-out.

Каспер Уэйр присоединился к ЦСКА! 🔴🔵

📄 Соглашение с баскетболистом действует до окончания сезона

Добро пожаловать, Каспер! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/qDhWwVpYvs

— CSKA Moscow (@cskabasket) March 12, 2022

Ware had been delivering a very productive season for BC Enisey, leading the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game but following the Russian invasion of Ukraine decided to revisit his playing options.

“Right now, I’m in Siberia, so it’s one of the safest places you can be in Russia because it’s so far away from everywhere else but three of my American teammates have already left. As we speak, everything is safe, it’s just a matter of being able to get out if you need to. They’re cutting off bank transfers and stuff like that so it’s really hard for me to use my card, so I have to adjust to that,” he said.

After the invasion of Ukraine, BC Enisey allowed import players to exit their contracts if they so wished. In fact, Ware will be able to join CSKA Moscow due to a similar opportunity resulting in all of its players leaving the club also due to the hostile situations between Ukraine and Russia.

“They said it’s up to us,” Ware said. “They have told us they don’t know what is going to happen, something else could pop up so whatever we want to do they will get us home if we don’t feel safe or comfortable. They’ve been pretty good with communicating in that way.”

The opportunity to sign with CSKA Moscow, which generally has a team budget of around $60 million AUD, arose after the Euroleague chose to suspend the team, along with fellow Russian clubs Zenit Saint Petersburg and UNICS Kazan as a result of terrible events taking place in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.

After being expelled from the Euroleague the majority of the team’s players exited the CSKA Moscow with former player Gabriel Lundberg, who paid his own contract buyout to leave Moscow, stating “I do not consider it possible to continue playing for the Russian army club”.

Lundberg’s teammates also left shortly after, a roster which included Marius Grigonis from Lithuania, Johannes Voigtmann from Germany, Canadian-Slovenian Kevin Pangos, Italian-American Daniel Hackett, and Russian-American Joel Bolomboy. CSKA Moscow accused them all of violating their contracts, but could not pursue any legal action due to being suspended from the Euroleague and FIBA.

In addition to Ware CSKA Moscow will feature a completely new roster, primarily made up of Russian players having also signed Alexey Shved and Vladimir Ivlev also as player replacements.

Ware relocated to Russia in 2021 after playing five seasons in the NBL where he claimed multiple awards and led Melbourne United to the 2018 NBL championship but after Ware’s production decline during his second season with the Sydney Kings, he was not offered a contract to stay.

The 36ers are currently sitting in eighth place with a record of 5-11 and will remain in the hunt for an additional import if the right player arises.

Dan Boyce
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