After reportedly passing on a contract offer from a team in China last month, Kenneth Faried appears to be on the verge of heading overseas to play in the Chinese Basketball Association after all.
A source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando that Faried is expected to sign with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, while Jeff Goodman of Stadium tweets that the veteran NBA big man has agreed to a one-year deal. The two reports aren’t exactly aligned on the value of Faried’s new contract, with Carchia hearing it’s worth $4.4MM, while Goodman suggests it’s simply “in excess of $2MM.”
Either way, it sounds like Faried’s move to China could put him in position to match or exceed his NBA minimum salary, which would have been worth about $2.32MM in 2019/20.
Faried, who will turn 30 later this month, was one of the more noteworthy veterans remaining on the free agent market as the NBA’s regular season got underway. After being buried on Brooklyn’s bench to start last season, he joined the Rockets, averaging 12.9 PPG and 8.2 RPG in 25 games (24.4 MPG) for Houston before falling out of the rotation down the stretch and in the postseason.
Faried, who isn’t a strong rim protector or outside shooter, apparently didn’t fit into any NBA team’s plans this season, but he should excel in China. If he looks good overseas and stays healthy, he could appeal to a contending team in the spring, after the CBA season ends.
Good luck in China Manimal from the fans in Houston.