A year ago, NBA players were flocking to China, Italy, Spain, and a handful of other countries where professional basketball was actually being played while the Association was locked out. With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, labor issues aren't a concern this year, but that doesn't mean that players aren't still heading overseas.
So far this offseason, a number of players that finished the 2011/12 campaign on NBA rosters have agreed to play in various countries all over the globe. Contract details aren't quite as readily available for these deals, but we're still keeping tabs on many of them using our Free Agent Tracker. Here's the list to date of players that finished the season on an NBA roster and have signed non-NBA contracts this summer:
- Morris Almond: Finished the season with the Wizards. Signed with Red Star Belgrade (Serbia).
- Craig Brackins: Finished the season with the 76ers. Signed with Angelico Biella (Italy).
- Semih Erden: Finished the season with the Cavaliers. Signed with Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Turkey).
- Jordan Farmar: Finished the season with the Nets. Signed with Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Turkey).
- Rudy Fernandez: Finished the season with the Nuggets. Signed with Real Madrid (Spain).
- Vernon Macklin: Finished the season with the Pistons. Signed with Gaziantep (Turkey).
- Craig Smith: Finished the season with the Trail Blazers. Signed with Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel).
- Ben Uzoh: Finished the season with the Raptors. Signed with Cholet Basket (France).
- Von Wafer: Finished the season with the Magic. Signed with Xinjiang Flying Tigers (China).
- Darryl Watkins: Finished the season with the Hornets. Signed with Lukoil Academic Sofia (Bulgaria).
- Shelden Williams: Finished the season with the Nets. Signed with Elan Chalon (France).
Among the other notable international signings: Sonny Weems and Nenad Krstic, who both played overseas during the lockout and decided against returning to the NBA this year. Both players signed with CSKA Moscow (Russia). Former lottery pick Hilton Armstrong also flirted with a return to the Association before eventually landing with Panathinaikos (Greece).