The regular season is underway in the NBA and for leagues around the globe, creating the opportunity to look back on the full scope of an offseason of player movement. One tool that helps accomplish that is our International Player Movement Tracker, compiled by Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro. The tracker documents the flow of players in and out of leagues worldwide, including the NBA. Using the filter function, we can see all of the players who had NBA contracts at the end of last season but find themselves out of the league as 2013/14 gets going. In this post, we’ll narrow that group even further to look at guys who went from the NBA to overseas leagues.
China is the leading destination by a wide margin, boasting eight players who were in the NBA just this past spring. The Zheijian Chouzhou Golden Bulls made the most profound splash, grabbing Ivan Johnson, perhaps the most significant NBA talent making the jump to China this year, as well as Jerel McNeal, a late-season addition to the Jazz. The haul the Golden Bulls took in equals the number of recent NBA players signing in Italy, Russia and Turkey, the only countries other than China to make multiple such acquisitions. The Spanish ACB league, long considered the league with the most talent outside the NBA, brought in just one NBA import: Tyler Hansbrough‘s brother Ben Hansbrough.
Note that this list doesn’t include Jeremy Pargo, who signed with Russia’s CSKA. Pargo didn’t finish last season on an NBA roster, falling just short when the Sixers waived him on April 1st.
China
- Earl Barron, Knicks — Qingdao
- Donte Greene, Grizzlies — Dongguan
- Hamed Haddadi, Suns — Sichuan
- Ivan Johnson, Hawks — Zhejiang Chouzhou
- Jerel McNeal, Jazz — Zhejiang Chouzhou
- Johan Petro, Hawks — Zhejiang Guangsha
- Shavlik Randolph, Celtics — Foshan
- Sebastian Telfair, Raptors — Tianjin
Italy
- Kim English, Pistons — Montepaschi
- James White, Knicks — Reggio Emilia
Russia
- Luke Babbitt, Blazers — Nizhny Novgorod
- Mickael Gelabale, Timberwolves — Khimki
Turkey
- Linas Kleiza, Raptors — Fenerbahce
- Terrence Williams, Celtics — Turk Telekom
Croatia
- Nolan Smith, Blazers — Cedevita
France
- Kevin Murphy, Jazz — Strasbourg
Serbia
- Charles Jenkins, Sixers — Crvena Zvezda
Spain
- Ben Hansbrough, Pacers — Gran Canaria
Ukraine
- DaJuan Summers, Clippers — Budivelnik