Former UMass forward Tony Gaffney is getting out of his contract in Spain and is expected to receive his release from Joventut Badalona as soon as Friday, according to Alex Kennedy and Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (Twitter links). Both HoopsWorld scribes report that several NBA teams have expressed some interest in Gaffney.
Since going undrafted in 2009, Gaffney has spent most of his playing career overseas, including stints in Israel, Turkey, and Germany. He participated in training camp in 2009 with the Lakers, and was signed by the Celtics late in the 2009/10 season to a multiyear non-guaranteed deal. Boston released him in the fall of 2010. Gaffney's only other action stateside came in 2011, when he spent 35 games with the D-League's Utah Flash, averaging 10.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. In 2012/13 in Spain, he posted averages of 11.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 23 contests.
If Gaffney, 28, is able to catch on with an NBA team before season's end, he'd be playoff-eligible, having not been on an NBA roster yet this season. I'd be a little surprised to see him sign with a contender, but perhaps a lottery team with an open roster spot would have interest in inking him to a contract that includes a non-guaranteed season for 2013/14, to take a look at him over the summer.