German club Bayreuth trying to sign Kevin Durant

Two-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant is being courted by a club in Germany.

The Bavarian town of Bayreuth, more famous for its Richard Wagner music festival than for its basketball, hopes to become Durant's home during at least some of the NBA lockout.

BBC Bayreuth, a mediocre club in the German league, said Monday it has been in "serious negotiations" with Durant's management for about three weeks and was optimistic about signing the Oklahoma City Thunder forward.

"At the moment, we can say about the negotiations that an agreement on financial issues is quite possible," the club's managing director Manfred Schoettner said in comments released by the club.

Schoettner said the club was aiming to sign Durant for a limited period during the lockout, depending on the player's schedule and prior engagements.

BBC Bayreuth said it was negotiating with Durant's agent Aaron Goodwin and his partners in Europe.

The club said its sponsors and "potential partners" would cover the cost of signing Durant and his insurance.

Bayreuth are 13th with a 3-5 record in the 18-team Bundesliga.

Few American big-name NBA players have come to Europe during the lockout, although some European players - such as Tony Parker of San Antonio Spurs - have gone back to their homelands to play for local clubs. Parker is playing in France for Asvel, a club he partly owns, and has been joined there by the New York Knicks center Ronny Turiaf.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has been negotiating with Virtus Bologna in Italy.