Thursday, July 24, 2008

Josh Childress is leaving the Atlanta Hawks for Greek club Olympiakos, reversing the course of the many international stars who have signed with the NBA.

Heading overseas allows Childress to make more money than he could have as a restricted free agent in the United States. The Hawks had the right to match an offer from another NBA team, but not from an international club.

Agent Jim Tanner said yesterday the three-year deal was worth about $20 million after taxes. The money is guaranteed, and Childress can opt out of the contract after each year.

"I've talked to a few guys, and it could become a trend," Childress said on a conference call about other Americans following his lead. "I'm not so sure it won't. It's different. We thought out of the box a little on this one."

The 6-foot-8, 210-pound guard-forward averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds as the Hawks' top reserve last season. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in four years with Atlanta after being drafted sixth overall in 2004 out of Stanford.

Childress said he intended to re-sign with the Hawks, who made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and pushed the eventual champion Celtics to seven games in the first round. But when he felt the team didn't show a sense of urgency in making a deal, he looked elsewhere.

Olympiakos initiated the contact, said Lon Ba bby, another of Childress's agents. With the strength of the euro against the dollar, Babby believes international clubs now have the resources to pursue high-level American players.

-- From News Services