Eight-year NBA veteran Josh Childress has inked a deal to play this year with the Sydney Kings of Australia, the team announced. Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net reported Monday that Childress was leaning toward taking the deal. It’s not clear what, if any, sort of NBA escape clauses the contract provides for, but it didn’t appear as though the swingman received strong interest from any NBA club following his release from the Pelicans in December.
Childress, 31, appeared in just four games with New Orleans last year, and he played sparingly for the Nets during the previous season. His last significant NBA action came during the 2011/12 campaign, when he logged 14.5 minutes per game in 34 appearances for the Suns, who amnestied him the following the summer. He was once one of the NBA’s premiere sixth men, averaging 13.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game for the Hawks in 2006/07, his best statistical season.
The Chris Emens client will probably be competing against DeAndre Daniels, this year’s 37th overall pick, who’s close to a deal with Australia’s Perth Wildcats. Childress joins 11 others who played in the NBA last year and have come to agreement with overseas teams since the start of July, as our Free Agent Tracker shows.