NBA HAWKS STAR LEAVES FOR GREECE..

Josh Childress is leaving the Atlanta Hawks for Greek club Olympiakos, reversing the course of the many international stars who have signed with the NBA. Heading overseas allows Childress to make more money than he could have as a restricted free agent in the United States. The Hawks had the right to match an offer from another NBA team, but not from an international club. The three-year deal was worth about $20 million after taxes. The money is guaranteed, and Childress can opt out of the contract after each year. The deal is the most lucrative current contract in European basketball and the biggest in Euroleague history, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported the signing. The newspaper reported Monday the Hawks had a deal on the table worth nearly $36 million, with a first-year salary in excess of the midlevel exception of $5.6 million. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound guard/forward averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds as the Hawks' top reserve last season. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in four years with Atlanta about being drafted sixth overall in 2004 out of Stanford.