Avery Bradley is nearing a deal to play for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israel Premier League until the NBA lockout ends. (Yahoo! Sports)

Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley is nearing a deal to play with Hapoel Jerusalem during the NBA lockout, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

A formal agreement could be reached as soon as this week that would allow Bradley to return to the NBA if the league-imposed lockout ends during Hapoel’s season.

After failing to complete a deal with Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez last week, Hapoel turned its attention to signing Bradley. For Bradley, a 20-year-old who turned pro after one season at the University of Texas, the chance to play meaningful minutes in the competitive Israel Premier League is a lure.

Some other players you might know who play for Hapoel Jerusalem: Luke Jackson, D.J. Strawberry, Jarvis Varnado and Mizrahi Moshe.

Rule number one of overseas signings: any time an NBA player is the backup plan to signing Greivis Vasquez, that player needs a lot of work on his game. Bradley will get that work in Israel if the lockout does not end soon, where he would theoretically play against the likes of Jordan Farmar, Jon Scheyer, Jeremy Pargo and, um, Lior Eliyahu, among others.

The key thing for Bradley is improvement. Whether he spends the rest of the lockout practicing two-ball dribbling drills in an empty gym and shooting 1,000 jumpers a day, or whether he spends that time playing 20-25 minutes per night in the Israeli League, Bradley just needs to get better.