Indiana Pacers free-agent guard T.J. Ford is headed to Croatia to join KK Zagreb while the NBA lockout drags on.
After playing in a charity game Sunday night in his native Houston organized by John Lucas and son John Lucas III from the Chicago Bulls, Ford told ESPN.com that he's headed to Croatia to join a team that also employs former Charlotte Bobcats lottery pick Sean May.
The deal includes an out to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.
Ford, 28, likewise will be looking for a new NBA team when a new labor deal is finally hammered out after a frustrating end to his three seasons with the Pacers.
Acquired by Indiana in 2008 in the trade with Toronto that sent Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors, Ford gradually fell out of favor under then-coach Jim O'Brien in the 2009-10 season and wound up playing in only 41 games last season -- and just nine minutes in Indiana's five playoff games -- even after the Pacers replaced O'Brien with Frank Vogel.
Senior writer Marc Stein covers the NBA for ESPN.com.
