Former SMU pledge Emmanuel Mudiay has signed with Chinese club Guangdong, according to a report from Sportsando.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the one-year deal is worth $1.2 million.
The 6-foot-5 Mudiay opted to play overseas instead of attending SMU amid reports both that he wanted to support his family and was uncertain whether he would pass through the NCAA Clearinghouse.
In China, Mudiay will be out of sight and out of mind, but one NBA scout said he could still be in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
“It is unfortunate because you would rather have him play in the states, but now NBA teams will schedule a trip to China to see him play,” a veteran NBA scout told SNY.tv.
“I still do not think it will affect his draft status. He will still be a top-5 pick and possibly even No. 2 by the time the draft rolls around next year.”
Mudiay is projected as the No. 3 pick in the 2015 Draft by DraftExpress.com behind big men Okafor of Duke and Cliff Alexander of Kansas.
Current NBA players Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons and Jeremy Tyler of the Knicks both skipped college in America to head overseas, with Jennings playing in Italy and Tyler spending time in Israel and Japan.
