SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1:29pm: Buycks has signed with Fujian, Pick hears (Twitter link). That team featured Al Harrington, John Lucas III and DJ White last season.
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 9:59am: Former Raptors and Lakers point guard Dwight Buycks has turned down multiple non-guaranteed offers from NBA teams to agree to play in China instead, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Lakers apparently had interest in re-signing him earlier this summer, as Pick reported in June. It’s unclear which Chinese team Buycks will be joining, nor is it known how much he’ll make.
Buycks was a late addition to the Lakers this past season, signing a 10-day contract in early April. He saw a decent chunk of playing time for the injury-hit purple-and-gold and averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 turnovers in 20.5 minutes per game across six appearances, but the broken hand he suffered on the final night of his 10-day deal scuttled the team’s plan to sign him for at least the rest of the season. The 26-year-old managed only 0.5 PPG in 10.5 MPG for the Lakers summer league squad in July.
His lack of summer league success was surprising, given his track record in that venue. Buycks averaged 19.7 PPG in 29.9 MPG for the summer Raptors in July 2014, a year after Toronto had signed him to a deal that gave him a guaranteed salary for his rookie season. However, he saw action in only 14 games for the Raptors in that 2013/14 season, and the team waived him last July in spite of his strong summer performance.
The Chris Patrick client is no stranger to turning down NBA offers to go overseas. He reportedly did so last summer to sign with Valencia of Spain, though he and the club parted ways early last season as NBA teams showed renewed interest. Buycks also saw action with China’s Tianjin Steel and the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.
Do you think Buycks belongs in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your opinion.