Former Tennessee point guard C.J. Watson is expected to sign a free-agent contract with the San Antonio Spurs, according to his agent, Michael Higgins.

"They've had a lot of interest in C.J. for a while,'' Higgins said. "We went through the teams that had interest in him and narrowed it down.''

Watson, who was not selected in Wednesday's NBA draft, worked out for 10 NBA teams: Houston, L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers, Sacramento, Minnesota, Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, Cleveland and San Antonio.

Higgins said the Spurs could be a good fit for Watson for a couple of reasons.

"Nick Van Exel retired, so they've only got Tony Parker and Beno Udrih at point guard,'' Higgins said. "Most all teams carry three point guards. Secondly, the Spurs' system requires guys that can hit open shots, so I know they like C.J.''

Watson showed his shooting touch at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational, which featured 64 of the top outgoing collegiate seniors.

"After that, I got a lot more interest from teams,'' said Watson, who led his squad to the finals by averaging 16.3 points per game and hitting 56.7 percent of his shots and 71.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Watson scored 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and had three rebounds, two steals and an assist in one game.

Watson finished his UT career second on the Vols' all-time assists list with 577 and second in all-time steals with 198.

Higgins said Watson will start work as a free agent July 8 and play in the Utah summer league, along with other aspiring free agents.

"If C.J. plays well enough, teams will want to make a commitment,'' Higgins said. "Hopefully he'll be invited to veterans camp in October.''

Higgins said numerous scouts from overseas leagues also will be watching this summer, so if Watson goes unsigned by an NBA team his professional career can continue.