J.J. Barea says playing in Spain could be an option

A lot of big name NBA players — Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, and the list goes on — have talked about playing in Europe if there is an extended NBA lockout. Thing is, it’s not that simple because if a player has an existing NBA contract he has to get a waiver from FIBA to play for another team.

But if you’re a free agent this summer, you have options.

J.J. Barea is a free agent. And after his performance in the playoffs slicing and dicing through defenses he is in demand. Dallas wants him back but other top teams that need a point guard (Lakers, Heat, Knicks and others) have interest as well once the lockout ends.

But if the lockout drags on Barea said he could just pack it up and go play in Spain for a while, as reported by ESPN Dallas.

“I guess my plan B would be Spain, but I hope that does not happen,” Barea said in a joint video chat Wednesday with El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora as his celebrity media tour throughout his home of Puerto Rico rolls on. Barea went on to say that he doesn’t think the league’s owners and players will allow the situation to become that dire.

We’d all like to think that J.J., we really would. But today of all days, it just doesn’t feel like that, does it?