Arnett Moultrie is headed to China.
It was a minor surprise when the New York Knicks waived Moultrie during the preseason to make room for Travis Wear on the roster.
Moultrie was on a guaranteed contract, and Wear - an undrafted free agent out of UCLA - is a non-prospect. In 19 games, Wear has averaged just 2.8 points in 9.9 minutes, providing a big body at 6-foot-10 but that's about it. Paying Moultrie to sit at home while also paying Wear seemed a poor choice.
Well, 29 other teams seem to agree that Moultrie isn't worthy of an NBA roster spot, with the former 27th overall pick signing with the Jiangsu Nangang Basketball Club in China this week. The move to China allows Moultrie to receive his $1.14 million from the Knicks and a new salary, which is nice work if you can get it.
In two NBA seasons, both with the Philadelphia 76ers, Moultrie appeared in 59 games, averaging 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes.