James Singleton's basketball career has included many stops, the latest of which was a brief tenure with the Washington Wizards. His next stop? According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, it's China.
Singleton confirmed yesterday that he has decided to leave the NBA and sign with the Xinjiang Gyang Hui Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. Singleton said he received NBA offers from several teams, including the Wizards, but decided he would rather make more money and get more playing time overseas.
"Some guys would love to just make it there, ride the bench and get paid. I'm not that guy. I want to play. I didn't work hard all these years just to sit and watch other people. I was given a true talent, but sitting around and being a cheerleader isn't one of them."
SB Nation's Wizards blog Bullets Forever is sad to see Singleton go and is surprised no NBA team wanted him.
At the end of the day, I'm not sure if the Wizards should have actually kept him. Trevor Booker does many of the things Singleton does, and he's younger. But I'm very, very surprised that no NBA team, the Wizards included, think he's worth anything more than the veterans minimum. Most good teams have a swing forward that acts as a reliable option off the bench, and Singleton surely is better than a number of guys that have signed. I really do think lots of teams missed a chance to add a guy simply because they didn't know who he was.