Yao Ming's Chinese Basketball Team Signs Former No. 2 Pick Michael Beasley Away From The NBA

Beasley, the No. 2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, had been in training camp with the Memphis Grizzlies. His Memphis contract was non-guaranteed but would have paid him $1.1 million if he made the team.

It's fair to assume he'll get paid more than that in China. Wojnarowski described his Shanghai contract as "lucrative." Emmanuel Mudiay - a top 2015 NBA Draft prospect who decided to play in China instead of spend a mandatory unpaid year in college - got a $1.2 million deal.

Beasley is perhaps the most well-known player to voluntarily choose China over the NBA.

A bunch of players played in China during the lockout in 2011. Gilbert Arenas famously played in China during his suspension. Over-the-hill veterans like Tracy McGrady and Stephon Marbury played there at the end of their careers.

But Beasley is only 25-years-old and had an NBA deal in hand, although it wasn't guaranteed. He could have attempted to fight his way onto an NBA roster. While his career has taken a turn in recent years, it's conceivable that he could still turned things around. He played 15 minutes per game last year with the Heat, and as recently as 2010-11 he was averaging 19 points a night.

Shanghai is the team that discovered Yao Ming, who's now the owner and president.