OCTOBER 31ST, 8:27am: According to Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com, another hang-up in talks between Arenas and Guangdong is the team's desire to have him undergo a tryout before officially committing to anything. It appears Arenas may be open to trying out for the team, as he wrote on his Weibo blog: "Packed and ready to go to China! Can’t wait to meet my coaches and teammates and reunite with my buddy Yi for a Championship run." Based on the reports to date, I'd guess nothing is quite finalized quite yet, with Arenas hoping to nail down the agreement in person.
OCTOBER 30TH, 6:52pm: The deal between Guangdong and Arenas is falling apart amid disagreements over a payment schedule and the team's concerns about the guard's fitness level, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Guangdong has begun to search for another former NBA guard to replace Arenas, Wojnarowski adds.
OCTOBER 24TH, 8:33am: Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com passes along a Chinese report, noting that Guangdong GM Liu Hongjiang has said a deal hasn't been officially reached with Arenas yet. There are still some details to be worked out, and a contract likely won't be finalized until the CBA preseason.
OCTOBER 22ND, 1:59pm: Arenas had been in talks with the CBA's Shanghai Sharks but appears to have opted to sign with Guangdong instead, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
12:34pm: A week after Tracy McGrady officially signed with the Qingdao Double Star Eagles, it appears another former NBA All-Star may be heading to China too. Gilbert Arenas is closing in on a one-year contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
We heard less than a month ago that Arenas was considering playing in China or another country overseas, though he was prioritizing an NBA job. As Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote in late September, Arenas still had some time to seek out NBA offers and then perhaps weigh his options in the CBA or other professional leagues — three and a half weeks later and still without an NBA contract, the veteran guard seems to be getting more serious about China.
While Arenas didn't make much of an impact in Memphis, reports this offseason have suggested that the 30-year-old is in good shape and is fully healthy. Signing in China would also allow Arenas the opportunity to return to the NBA late in the season, if he impresses overseas, since the CBA regular season ends in March.
I believe that Gilbert Arenas is a good player in the NBA, but if his services are not going to be needed in the NBA, then he should perhaps go to where ever he may be needed, and if in Japan, they will offer him a lucrative deal, then in my book take it and then there is the possibility that you may be able to return in mid-season. Take whatever is given to you so that you don’t wind up like many other good players and have to be forced to retire early in your career!