Rodney Stuckey Being Lured By China While Detroit Pistons Remain Locked Out

Rodney Stuckey was given a qualifying offer by the Detroit Pistons prior to the NBA lockout beginning, making him a restricted free agent in the NBA sense of the word. Stuckey has no restrictions regarding his playing overseas this season, however, which is why a team in China is working to lure him to the Chinese Basketball Association.

The Guangdong Southern Tigers are "making a hard push" for Stuckey, according to a report on Tuesday from ESPN's Marc Stein. Earlier in the day, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express said he'd be surprised if that happened, but he was also aware of the possibility.

If Stuckey is lured by the Chinese team this season, he'd join fellow NBA player Yi Jianlian, but would be unable to return to the NBA until either being released by Guangdong or the team's season finishes. Guangdong played through April 27 last season as they were led by former NBA players Lester Hudson, Marcus Haislip and Fred Jones.