This offseason, three notable NBA players—two productive, one not so much—signed contracts with teams overseas and will not be in the NBA this season. Andray Blatche, Gustavo Ayon, and Miroslav Raduljica all left the NBA this offseason after not generating enough interest from NBA teams.
The trio taking their talents across the ponds highlights a bigger issue facing NBA teams and the league as a whole. With markets and leagues becoming more and more popular in Europe and China, the opportunities to make more money are there for players like Ayon, Raduljica, and Blatche, who would likely sign minimum deals state-side.
I’m not trying to blow this out of proportion. Don’t worry, Cavs fans, LeBron James isn’t bolting China. Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant isn’t going to play for Barcelona.
I can’t even say the European and Chinese leagues taking NBA talent is necessarily bad for the NBA right now; however, I do see a breaking point on the horizon. It’s possible in the future that middle-of-the-pack NBA players, like Blatche, might be tempted by the money and opportunity abroad. Over time of middling players skipping out on the NBA, the NBA could start to suffer.
Ultimately, the likelihood of this happening is probably pretty small. Even if it does happen, we’re talking years into the future before it has any major effects.
Still, NBA history is riddled with players who left the league to play in Europe or China when they easily could have stayed and contributed in the NBA. To prove it, I’ve picked six players, from recent memory, who’ve left the NBA too soon and still had some juice left in the tank. All eight of the players left the NBA for a variety of reasons, more money, closer proximity to home, not good enough for the NBA anymore, and a combination of all of those mixed with some off-the-court issues.