Childress May Become Latest Baller to Turn Euro

Brandon Jennings is headed overseas because America won’t pay him yet. Carlos Delfino can hack it in the NBA, for sure, but the money— even from a second-division team —is better in Moscow. But Josh Childress? According to Yahoo!, Childress is weighing a three-year, $20 million deal from Greece’s Olympiakos:↵↵⇥Childress flew to Greece late Sunday and is scheduled to meet with Olympiakos officials on Monday. Childress, 25, is so flustered with the Hawks’ refusal to make a sign-and-trade deal to another team, one source familiar with his thinking believes there’s “better than a 50-50 chance” he’ll sign with Olympiakos. The team also will cover the Greek taxes for Childress, making it even more lucrative.↵↵Also noted: While Childress is a restricted free agent, the Hawks don’t have matching rights with an international club.↵
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Now, the editorializing: Before we get into who “belongs” in the NBA and who doesn’t, or what the NBA stands for, let’s not forget the crux of this: Childress wants out of Atlanta, and they don’t want him to go. He had some notable play in the Hawks/Celtics series, but didn’t make his name Josh Smith-like. So Childress, who really is Shawn Marion-lite, apparently finds himself wanting out (can you blame him?), without the exposure to fuel that, and in a year when cap space is spare. Maybe this is a bargaining chip, but if he does go, it’s a testament to just how miserable the Hawks organization is. Donald Sterling had better watch his back.↵
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↵The irony of this deal is that, while Childress can find freedom abroad, the Hawks still keep his rights for the next two years. No Jennings like wink-wink here. The real question: Can a player like J-Chillllz, whose whole identity as a player depends on proving that he can in fact do many, many things at the pro level, raise his stock by playing overseas? Otherwise, he might end up costing himself a ton of money in the long run.↵