Unable to find an NBA offer to his liking, Lester Hudson has signed with the Dongguan Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a NetEase report (Chinese link; translation via HoopsHype). Hudson becomes the second NBA free agent to sign in China this week, on the heels of Tracy McGrady's agreement with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles.
Hudson, 28, played for Qingdao last season, averaging an impressive 33.6 PPG to go along with 7.0 RPG and 6.3 APG in 32 contests. He has also appeared in 52 NBA games for five teams, enjoying the most succcessful stint of his three-year NBA career in 2011/12, when he averaged 12.7 points in 13 games for the Cavs. However, he was unable to secure a deal with an NBA team this summer, and was reportedly dropped from his agency after he failed to show up to a workout his representatives scheduled with the Bobcats.
"I worked so hard to get him a workout, and he didn’t show," agent Tyler Glass told Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. "The Bobcats were annoyed and they should have been. They’re a professional organization. You don’t skip out on workouts…. He really can play in the league. But what happened with the Bobcats… Word gets around."
It's not clear whether the incident involving the Bobcats significantly impacted Hudson's ability to earn a camp invite, or whether he simply received a more lucrative offer from the CBA's Leopards. Either way, we can cross another NBA free agent off the ever-dwindling list of available players.