MONDAY, 8:42am: The chairman of the Sturgeons confirmed the signing to reporters, as Sina Sports notes.
SATURDAY, 10:57pm: Al Harrington has signed with Chinese team Fujian Sturgeons, per Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Zwerling reports that an announcement will make the one-year deal official on Monday.
The news is a surprise, as the forward was interested in playing another year in the NBA, and had an open door to do so with the Wizards. Assuming Washington’s welcoming stance hadn’t changed, I would guess that the Chinese team offered more than the veteran’s minimum, which is likely all the Wizards would or could have offered.
Zwerling adds that Harrington plans to coach for the Wizards when his playing career comes to a close. The 16-year veteran has averaged 13.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG for his career, with a slash line of .444/.352/.727. The last two seasons have been his least productive since his first few years in the league, as his health has limited him to just 44 appearances in stints with the Magic and Wizards.