TUESDAY, 9:11am: It appears Iverson won't be taking up the Legends on their offer, according to a message posted on his Twitter account this morning:
"I thank Donnie [Nelson] and Dallas for the consideration and while I think the D-League is a great opportunity, it is not the route for me," Iverson tweeted.
Iverson added that he still hopes to "complete [his] legacy" in the NBA, but that whether or not he's able to return to the league isn't necessary up to him (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 9:55am: The Texas Legends have recently added Delonte West and Rashad McCants to their roster, and now the team is eyeing another veteran guard. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Mavericks' D-League affiliate is making a hard push to convince Allen Iverson to sign with them.
According to Stein, the Legends have made overtures to Iverson before, which the former MVP has resisted. The Legends are ramping up their pursuit of Iverson again now because they're set to return to the top of the D-League's waiver line once they finalize Mike James' rest-of-season contract — when a non-assigned player called up from the D-League spends 21 consecutive days with the NBA team that signed him, the D-League squad moves to the top of the waiver process. So if Iverson were to join the D-League, the Legends would be first in line to claim him.
Iverson, 37, hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2009/10 season, but has long been seeking a return to the league. To date, he hasn't been willing to join the D-League as a step toward a potential comeback. We heard in the fall that Iverson was reportedly seeking a $1MM contract to play in the Chinese Basketball Association, a figure that significantly exceeds a D-League pay check.
Back in September, Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside made the case for why Iverson should seriously consider the D-League route.