Veteran NBA big man Alexis Ajinca is headed overseas, with French team ASVEL Basket announcing today in a press release that it has reached an agreement to sign Ajinca (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Ajinca, the 20th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, has appeared in 293 total regular season games, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 13.3 minutes per contest.
Frequently slowed by health problems throughout his career, Ajinca spent the last several years with the Pelicans, but missed the entire 2017/18 season with a knee injury. He was subsequently traded to the Clippers in an offseason deal for Wesley Johnson, then was waived by Los Angeles, making him a free agent.
Ajinca’s new deal with ASVEL – the French team run by veteran NBA point guard Tony Parker – represents a homecoming for the 30-year-old. Ajinca was born in France and spent the early years of his professional career playing there. He also had a stint in his home country from 2011 to 2013, when he played for Strasbourg.