Brooklyn Nets Andrei Kirilenko Deal Draws Accusations of Foul Play: Russian Conspiracy Brewing in the NBA

The Russian pipeline to the Brooklyn Nets smells fishy to the rest of the NBA.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Nets' signing of Russian free agent Andrei Kirilenko for the team's $3.1 million exception has league opponents crying foul.

Kirilenko made $10 million with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Yardbarker.com reported, and opted out of his contract to test the free-agent market this summer. He reportedly turned down more lucrative offers from other teams to sign with the Nets and Russian billionaire and owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

Yardbarker.com added that Kirilenko and Prokhorov have a previous relationship through a professional team in Moscow. Kirilenko once played for CSKA Moscow, a team Prokhorov owned at the time.

Teams are asking the NBA to investigate whether the two have made any sort of side deal to get Kirilenko to agree to sign for less.

The Nets have gone on a spending spree this summer, adding former Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to a roster that already had Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. Brooklyn's current payroll stands at $101 million, Yahoo! Sports is reporting, with another $82 million being estimated for the team's luxury tax for next season.

Once the Russian owner convinced a reputable Russian player to take $7 million fewer to be a backup to Pierce, the reaction among the rest of the NBA was accusatory. The website said the uproar is the result of the Nets' emergences as a contending franchise.

"Brazen," one Western Conference GM told Yahoo! Sports.

"Let's see if the league has any credibility," one NBA owner told the website. "It's not about stopping it. It's about punishing them if they're doing it."

Another Eastern Conference GM: "There should be a probe. How obvious is it?"

Yahoo! Sports reported that few in the NBA trust Prokhorov's willingness to honor the NBA's salary cap rules.

Part of that mistrust stems from a deal Brooklyn made last season with European forward Mirza Teletovic on a three-year, $15.7 million deal before the Nets realized the contract would hurt their chances of landing free agent Dwight Howard in a trade.

Without an explanation, Teletovic agreed to a three-year, $9 million deal.