Congratulations to Guangdong! NBA-Level Backcourt Weapon Could Join, Coach May Let Sumner Go for Him? _Ivey_ Foreign Player_Shooting

During the 2025-26 CBA offseason, news that traditional powerhouse Guangdong officially announced the signing of new wing import Luka Bozic has continued to gain attention. With the Croatian national team player officially joining the squad, Hongyuan's foreign-player lineup for next season is gradually taking shape. Notably, many fans have been speculating whether Guangdong will give up on scoring machine Sumner, who previously performed well. According to informed sources, Bozic's 32% three-point shooting percentage is not considered elite, while Sumner also lacks consistent shooting ability. Therefore, Sumner and Bozic have certain limitations in terms of their technical profiles. Under these circumstances, Guangdong's new head coach Yakovlevich may choose to let go of the isolation-oriented Sumner and bring in a small guard import who truly has the ability to create solutions through three-point shooting.

Many fans predict that NBA free agent Jaden Ivey could be the ideal target for Hongyuan's new management. With Bozic's signing already completed, the 2-meter forward import who combines high-post playmaking and low-post scoring could become a key asset for new head coach Yakovlevich in his pursuit of a championship next season. Bozic's style relies more on using physicality and changes of pace to attack the paint and finish, so Guangdong still needs a guard with reliable three-point shooting at the small-import position to create spacing. Although Sumner's ability to attack the basket is extremely strong, the spacing when paired with Bozic would be crowded. In contrast, a versatile scoring player like Ivey would naturally fit Guangdong's roster better.

As of now, Guangdong has not announced any substantial contract extension with Sumner. Based on past practices, Guangdong usually directly announces two confirmed foreign players. At present, Guangdong has basically only finalized Bozic's arrival, while the remaining two foreign players have not yet been confirmed. Of course, Sumner is already considered a top-tier foreign player in the CBA, even comparable to Finals MVPs such as Goodwin and Brown. In this situation, unless it is a top-level backcourt weapon like Ivey, Guangdong would have no reason to let Sumner go. It is worth noting that two seasons ago, Ivey was still averaging close to 20+5+5 and was a qualified starting point guard in the NBA.

As an explosive two-way guard standing 1.93 meters tall with a wingspan close to 2.10 meters, Ivey still has the ability to continue playing in the NBA, but unexpected off-court factors have prevented him from receiving a contract. If Guangdong can successfully sign Ivey, the team's backcourt offensive firepower would receive a major boost. Ivey's pull-up shooting and ability to attack the basket could even overwhelm top CBA small imports such as the Beijing and Shanghai core players Goodwin and Brown. At present, Guangdong has let go of several foreign players including McCall and Sumner, while the domestic roster has also seen players such as Du Runwang and Wang Shaojie depart, giving Hongyuan's new management considerable room in its foreign-player reinforcement budget.

In summary, Bozic's arrival is only the first step in Guangdong's foreign-player adjustments. New head coach Yakovlevich may let Sumner go and bring in a new small import as strong as Ivey.