Jared Sullinger is moving to Shenzhen, China


Last night while we were all sleeping, Jared Sullinger was basking in the Chinese smog, finalizing a two month deal to become a proud, Shenzhen Leopard. The deal is worth $300,000; not too bad for a few months of work.

But lets see how that deal would equate to an NBA contract. WARNING: this will involve some math. 

Sully played for four years with the Boston Celtics, and then he spent another half of a season in the NBA, beginning with the Toronto Raptors, and then moving to Phoenix to join the Suns, where he was cut and then never seen again. So, he's been in the League for four years and change. Lets round up, and say that he's played for five seasons in the NBA. 

The league minimum for a guy who's played that length of time in the League is approximately 1.7 million dollars. How does Sully's contract compare to that amount of cheese? 

Well, the NBA season is about seven months long. If Jared Sullinger is making $150,000 per month, then how much would he make for an entire season in the big leagues? 

That's right kids, with the contract that he just signed, Sully would earn $1,050,000 for the whole season, which puts him well below the league's minimum salary. 

Isn't math fun!? 

No, not really, but I thought that that was an interesting tidbit. I guess it's what's expected for playing in any league not called the NBA. 

Anyways, for the few games that Sully played in last season with the Raptors, he averaged a measly 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. These numbers earned him a trade out of town. He was sent to Phoenix, where he never touched the court, and was almost immediately waived from the team. 

Ever since then, he's been yearning for any NBA team to sign him. But alas, his wishes haven't been granted. Why is that? Well, his history of being overweight and injury prone for sure didn't help. 

He did play in The Basketball Tournament, with the Ohio State University alumni squad, and at least turned a few heads with his performance. 




If you were wondering, his OSU team, Scarlet and Gray, didn't win the tourney.

Sully was last seen in the Big Apple, where he was competing with his old teammate, Tyler Zeller, for a roster spot on the Brooklyn Nets. Zeller won the battle and was signed to a two year deal, which resulted in Jared's China signing.

Sully's contract being for only two months opens the window for him to leave his new team mid-season, so that he can pursue his dream of being an NBA power forward. If he plays well and proves his worth, that may just be what happens. I for one, didn't mind Jared when he was on the Cs. At one point he was our best rebounder and there was a stretch in 2014 where he put up a streak of double-doubles. Were these numbers a result of him being on a bad team with an awesome coach in Brad Stevens? Probably, but as the wise prophet Confucius once said, "numbers don't lie," and I think that that truth holds firm here.

Time will tell how good Jared Sullinger really is. Will we see headlines pop-up about his dominance in the Chinese Basketball Association? Or will he become lost in the Hong Kong shuffle, never to be heard of again?

I'm rooting for him. I want to see that Redwood trunk of his back under an NBA basket.

Photo: Getty Images
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