The second stage of the 2024-25 CBA regular season continues, with news about Chinese men's basketball power forward Cui Yongxi's imminent return to China heating up. According to informed sources, Chinese player Cui Yongxi, who was cut by the NBA Eastern Conference powerhouse Brooklyn Nets, is recovering well during his rehabilitation phase and has gradually started to get off crutches. It is reported that Cui Yongxi plans to return to the country later this month. This means that many CBA league teams, including the Guangdong team, will have the opportunity to contact Cui Yongxi in the near future. This is undoubtedly the best opportunity for Zhu Fangyu and Du Feng, who want to strengthen their front line.
As we all know, Cui Yongxi previously signed a two-year two-way contract with the Nets, but suffered a serious ligament tear injury while playing for the Long Island Nets this season, after which he was cut by the Nets. Undoubtedly, Cui Yongxi still has the chance to make an impact in the NBA when he is 100% healthy. However, after suffering such a serious injury, Cui Yongxi is no longer favored by the outside world to continue playing in the NBA. Therefore, returning to the CBA league may be a better choice for Cui Yongxi in the future. Since the dark horse Guangzhou men's basketball team has sold many key players including Chen Yingjun, Zhu Mingzhen, Jia Mingru, Guo Kai, and Li Yanzhe, and signed new recruits Guo Ailun, Ding Yanhang, and others to join forces with Jiao Boqiao to form a new core, it is also very likely that they will give up on Cui Yongxi in the future.
With Cui Yongxi's current strength as the top frontcourt core of the Chinese men's basketball team, the Guangdong team, which is plagued by financial difficulties, only has the opportunity to recruit him during his injury period. Once Cui Yongxi recovers, he will once again become a domestic star that the Guangdong team can't reach. As the only remaining "big fish" in the CBA league's domestic player frontcourt, the Guangdong team must take a gamble and secure his signing rights before Cui Yongxi fully recovers. Of course, there is also the possibility that Cui Yongxi may not be able to recover his previous peak state, but even if he can recover more than 80% of his strength, he is still the top frontcourt in the CBA league. After being strengthened by the NBA league, Cui Yongxi is currently absolutely worth betting on by the Guangdong team.
For the Guangdong team, there are still no suitable domestic players at the three position at this stage. The talented stars in the training reserves, such as Chen Jiazheng, tend to lean towards the two position, and Zhang Huafei, who has explosive physical qualities, is also a two position player. In addition, Huang Mingyi, who currently has the strongest static talent, and Wang Hongze, the cornerstone of the future construction of Hongyuan, are both four position players. That is to say, the reserve echelon of the Guangdong team can no longer provide enough support for the three position for Zhu Fangyu and Du Feng, so Cui Yongxi will be the only choice for the Guangdong team to strengthen the small forward position. After various domestic frontcourt players such as Zhang Zhenlin, Zeng Fanbo, Zhu Junlong, Zhang Ning, and Qi Lin rushed to support their respective championship contenders, the Guangdong team is in desperate need of a top domestic three position player like Cui Yongxi.
In summary, perhaps after Cui Yongxi determines that he cannot stand firm in the NBA league in the future, he will be sought after by many CBA league teams. At this time, the Guangdong team can consider giving up the introduction of foreign aid for the rest of the season and taking out an absolute sufficient capital chain to intercept Cui Yongxi, betting on this domestic powerful frontcourt to fill the team's three position.