This season, the Guangdong team has been struggling with a record of only 17 wins and 11 losses, ranking ninth in the league, making it unlikely for them to reach the top four this season. There are many reasons for this, including the departure of Zhou Qi, the injury and three-month absence of Hu Mingxuan, and frequent mistakes in the selection of small foreign players. Currently, apart from Xu Jie, there are hardly any available players in Guangdong's backcourt. Although General Manager Zhu Fangyu has repeatedly stated that they are actively looking for a small foreign player, there has been no news, which is really worrying for fans about Xu Jie's physical condition and competitive state.
Recently, it was reported that the Guangdong team is interested in Jiangsu's guard Cui Xiaolong and has offered a three-for-one trade. If both sides agree, Cui Xiaolong could represent the Guangdong team as early as the third stage of the regular season or even earlier in the CBA games. It is reported that the Guangdong team and General Manager Zhu Fangyu have offered Peng Shijun + Zhang Mingchi + some cash, but Jiangsu team has not yet given a positive response.
Cui Xiaolong was born in February 1999, standing at 1.94 meters tall and weighing 85 kilograms. He plays as a shooting guard or small forward on the court. Cui Xiaolong started his career with the NBL Henan She Store Liquor team and was selected by the Jiangsu team in the first round, fourth overall, in the 2021 CBA draft. In the 2021-22 season, Cui Xiaolong's first season in the CBA, he averaged 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game; last season, Cui Xiaolong played all 52 regular-season games and started all of them, averaging 30 minutes per game with 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.6 steals. However, this season his playing time has fallen to an average of 21.3 minutes, with an average of only 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
In the game where Jiangsu lost to Ningbo at home on December 25, Cui Xiaolong played for 5.7 minutes, missing both shots without scoring and only grabbing one rebound. After that game, Cui Xiaolong did not play again and did not even appear on the team's 12-man registration list. According to reports, Cui Xiaolong has left the Jiangsu team and is currently reporting to the Jiangsu Provincial Basketball Management Training Center for training. Neither the Jiangsu team nor other third-party sources mentioned that Cui Xiaolong suffered from injuries or severe colds; instead, it is reported that he had conflicts and disputes with the Jiangsu team management and coaching staff, and is now seeking a trade to leave the team. The Jiangsu team is open to this and willing to listen to offers from various parties.
Recently, fans have spotted Peng Shijun, a Guangdong youth training player, returning to Dongguan to start training. As a Guangdong youth training player, Peng Shijun was promoted to the first team last season but did not get any playing opportunities due to issues such as disobedience to team management and lack of training enthusiasm. Last summer during the off-season, Peng Shijun criticized Guangdong fans and management on social media and left the team without permission to train in his hometown in Northeast China, directly leading to Guangdong not registering him for this season. Although he is still a Guangdong player, he has no chance to play, which is basically considered a waste.
Now Peng Shijun has returned to the Guangdong team's home training hall in Dongguan to participate in training. The next step may be to enroll in the team's physical test, and then the team will help him register. The following window period will begin trading. Although he has not yet played a game in the CBA, he performed well in the youth team, with advantages in height, wingspan, and physical confrontation. Since Jiangsu cannot keep Cui Xiaolong, they might as well trade with Guangdong and try new players. Moreover, Guangdong's offer of a three-for-one trade is full of sincerity, and such a trade would be a win-win situation for both players and both teams.
If Cui Xiaolong joins Guangdong, he can help Xu Jie share the ball-handling pressure in the backcourt, while Peng Shijun can strengthen Jiangsu's front line, which would be beneficial for everyone.