What are some of the best currently active former NBA players who just randomly flamed out and are currently playing abroad? I’m talking about players who were in the NBA for a while and played significant roles but suddenly just left the NBA because they eventually weren’t good enough (or maybe got more money). Leave out any players who had to leave because of injury or because they got too old.
For example, Frank Ntilikina played several years in the NBA and got real minutes but now is playing in Serbia. Or Ty Lawson, who was a legit double-double threat in the NBA at one point but has been playing abroad for a few years now.
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I have a few off the top of my head: Nikola Mirotic Marco Belinelli Serge Ibaka Kemba Walker Jeremy Lin Rudy Fernandez Willie Hernangomez Alex Abrines
Josh Childress.
Childress didn’t flame out, he was offered more money in his prime. It was a big story because he was the first American player to actively choose to play in the Euroleague over the NBA. He had plenty of interest from the league.
I know. OP also asked for guys who got more money in europe.
That he did, my bad.
Dwight Howard, Jimmer Fredette, Serge Ibaka, Boogie Cousins
Nikola Mirotic was averaging 15/7/1 on 58% TS in his last season in the NBA and was making $12.500.000 a year, but Barcelona offered him even more money than that (€12.000.000 a year after taxes, which is a ridiculous amount of money for overseas standards).
He went on to win the Euroleague MVP, get selected three consecutive years to the All-Euroleague team, win the Spanish league MVP once and finals MVP twice, be named the Euroleague Final Four Top Scorer etc.
Kendrick Nunn looked really solid on the Heat for two seasons before getting injured and flaming out of the league. In his first season in Europe he was named to the All-Euroleague First Team, and was one of the main reasons that his club Panathinaikos won both the Euroleague and the Greek league title.
Mario Hezonja was the fifth overall draft pick in 2015 and showed glimpses of solid play on the Knick before being out of the NBA the very next year. He was an All-Euroleague selection this year and has won the Euroleague with Real Madrid last year.