10:18pm: Despite a wave of interest coming from several teams throughout the league, Wilson Chandler plans to rejoin the Nuggets upon returning to the NBA. In a tweet, Marc Spears of Yahoo! reports that Chandler will either sign on for the rest of this season, or to a long-term deal.
5:10pm: As we discussed earlier today, Wilson Chandler's status as a restricted free agent when he returns from China could limit his NBA options. Chandler is preparing for such a scenario and hopes to sign a long-term contract with the Nuggets, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Chandler's Zhejiang Lions currently rank eighth in the CBA, which would just barely qualify them for the postseason. If they fall out of the playoffs over the next week, Chandler could return to America this month and be eligible to receive offer sheets from any NBA team. However, if the Lions play past March 1st, NBA clubs wouldn't be permitted to sign Chandler to an offer sheet when his contract in China ends, meaning he could only play in Denver this season.
According to Kennedy, Chandler is prepared to sit out the rest of the NBA season if he returns after March 1st and he and the Nuggets can't work out a long-term deal. In that case, the 24-year-old would again be a restricted free agent this summer, with the restrictions on offer sheets lifted.
Props to Chandler for loyalty
I like to see him in a Lakers uniform.Do it Mithch.
He doesn’t have a choice. The new CBA restricts sign and trade deals after the season begins, and he cant sign an offer sheet with another team after the March 1st deadline.