A pair of NBA veterans are reportedly headed to China, with forward/center Darius Bazley and guard Will Barton joining the Guangdong Southern Tigers, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays.
Bazley, the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 draft, spent his first three-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Thunder, appearing in 221 games for the club. The 24-year-old has bounced around the NBA since being dealt to Phoenix at the 2023 trade deadline, enjoying brief stints with the Suns, Sixers, and Jazz.
In 237 total NBA contests (118 starts), Bazley has averaged 8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 23.4 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .414/.309/.677. He signed a multiyear deal with Utah in March, but it wasn’t guaranteed beyond 2023/24, so he was waived in July, making him a free agent.
Barton, an 11-year NBA veteran, made 679 regular season appearances for Portland, Denver, Washington, and Toronto from 2012-23. His best years came with the Nuggets, where he finished in the top four in Sixth Man of the Year voting twice and averaged 14.0 points per game on .438/.362/.789 shooting across seven-and-a-half seasons.
Barton didn’t play in the NBA last season. He initially signed with CSKA Moscow in January, but that contract was voided before he appeared in a game for the Russian club. He subsequently caught on with teams in Spain and Puerto Rico to close out the 2023/24 season.
Guangdong posted a 37-15 record in Chinese Basketball Association competition last season, but was eliminated from the postseason by the Liaoning Flying Leopards, who went 43-9 during the season and eventually won the 2024 CBA title.
Sad to see how far Bazely has fallen he truly looked like he would be special in the league when he was in HS wonder how much skipping college messed with his development