Three-year NBA veteran Jeff Taylor and Real Madrid of Spain are drawing close to agreement, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The small forward who’s spent the past three seasons with Charlotte turned down an offer this past weekend from an Israeli team. Little chatter about NBA options for the 2012 31st overall pick has emerged since the Hornets decided against making a him qualifying offer.
Taylor served a 24-game NBA suspension last season stemming from his guilty plea to misdemeanor domestic assault and property destruction charges this past fall. He struggled to regain his place in the Hornets rotation after that, appearing in only 29 games. The now 26-year-old started 13 of them, but saw a career-low 14.8 minutes per contest. Taylor also spent time on D-League assignment.
Real Madrid is a European power, and if he closes the deal and excels for the team, it would likely give the former Vanderbilt standout a path back to the NBA. The Nuggets are reportedly trying to lure point guard Sergio Rodriguez from Real Madrid, but it’s unclear if that’s at all related to Taylor’s negotiations.