The NBA offseason has been full of changes lately with players shifting from one team to another. The NBA board also approved a few in-game rule changes for next season and a new and improved player-friendly schedule to minimize resting of players.
Here are a couple of updates in the NBA free agency:
Josh Childress signs camp deal this offseason
This offseason many NBA players have left the NBA to play overseas like Ty Lawson, Jared Sullinger, JJ Hickson, Ryan Kelly, Dominique Jones, Jamaal Franklin and Norris Cole. But former NBA players that are playing in other leagues are also trying to make an NBA return just like Josh Childress.
Michael Sotto of Basketball Insiders has reported that Josh Childress and the Denver Nuggets have agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. Childress will enter that Nugget's Training Camp as the 18th player on their roster and will have to compete against Will Barton, Tyler Lydon, and Wilson Chandler for that small forward position next season. Josh Childress made his last NBA appearance in 2013 where he played for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Childress entered the NBA in the offseason of 2004 where he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Childress had an incredible rookie career as he was third among rookies in double-doubles, just behind Emeka Okafor and Dwight Howard.
Childress played four total seasons with the Atlanta Hawks averaging, 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 67 starts of a total of 285 games (Since he was the primary sixth man of the Atlanta Hawks). In 2009 Childress played for the Olympiacos Piraeus with a three year 20 million dollar contract with an opt-out clause every year.
He also signed a Greek Nike shoe contract, the Atlanta Hawks offered Childress a five year 33 million dollar deal, but he declined it as he made substantially more money in Greece.
Childress returns to the NBA
In 2010 Josh Childress made his first NBA return with the Phoenix Suns as his rights were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for the 2012 second round draft pick of the Suns.
He would play two seasons for the Phoenix Suns but was later then released in July 2012 via the amnesty clause. Months later he signed with the Brooklyn Nets but was then later waived by the Nets. A year later he was signed by the Washington Wizards, but after a month he was directly waived, a month later he was signed by the New Orleans Pelicans but was yet again given up a month after. That was when Childress chose to continue his basketball career in the NBL, D-league, and much recently in Japan. Now Childress looks to make another NBA comeback with the Denver Nuggets this offseason. He has career averages of 9.1 points, 0.5 blocks, 0.9 steals, 1.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.9 percent from the charity stripe.
