CBA News: Hong Kong Bulls Register Contract for Wang Junjie, Shandong Heroes Announce Signing of 2.03m Former NBA Forward

Recently, domestic basketball fans have mainly focused on the national teams. The Chinese women's basketball team is competing in the Women's Basketball World Cup, while the Chinese men's basketball team has already departed for Japan to prepare for the Asian Games. There are currently two major updates in the CBA league: Deep Blue Company announced that NBL team Hong Kong Bulls have registered a contract for national team player Wang Junjie; meanwhile, Shandong Heroes announced that the team has completed the signing of NBA forward Dalano Banton.

A few days ago, Hong Kong Bulls general manager Sun Xinwei revealed that the team had reached an agreement with an active national team player, which sparked discussions among fans about the player's identity. Recently, there has been a confirmed update. According to the 2026-2027 National Basketball League (NBL) registered contract player list released by the Deep Blue official website, Hong Kong Bulls have registered a contract for Wang Junjie. This means Hong Kong Bulls have completed their signing of Wang Junjie.

Wang Junjie is a player competing overseas. According to CBA league rules, if he returns to China to play, he can only enter through the draft. However, if he joins an NBL team, he can bypass the draft process. Previously, college player Shi Kui used this method, skipping the CBA draft and directly signing with Hong Kong Bulls. The main reason Shi Kui made this choice was that Sichuan had the first overall pick, and he was almost certain to become the top selection if he entered the draft. Sichuan's current situation is not ideal, and it remains uncertain whether Shi Kui could stay in the CBA in the future. Shi Kui did not want to join, so he chose to sign directly with Hong Kong Bulls.

Wang Junjie's move to Hong Kong Bulls can be considered an imitation of Shi Kui's approach. After the Shi Kui situation, the CBA and NBL also introduced the 'Shi Kui clause,' requiring all college players to first go through the CBA draft and fail to be selected before joining NBL teams. However, this clause was finalized around July 30, while NBL teams had completed player contract registrations before July 14. In other words, Hong Kong Bulls' signing of Wang Junjie took place before the release of the 'Shi Kui clause.' Therefore, Wang Junjie will become a Hong Kong Bulls player. Although Wang Junjie will continue playing overseas in the new season, he will be able to officially enter the CBA once Hong Kong Bulls are promoted to the CBA.

After signing foreign big man Faye, Shandong Heroes continued searching for other overseas players. Previously, media reports also revealed that the team had signed Omot, but due to strong dissatisfaction from fans, Shandong Heroes changed their foreign player plans. According to Shandong Heroes' announcement, the team has completed the signing of former NBA player Dalano Banton, making him the second confirmed foreign player for Shandong's new season.

Banton is a 2.03-meter guard-forward who previously played in the NBA. He appeared in 222 regular-season games, averaging 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2 assists in 14.4 minutes per game, with overall shooting accuracy of 40.4% and three-point shooting accuracy of 30.3%. During the 2023-24 season with the Trail Blazers, Banton received more playing time and averaged 29.2 minutes per game, producing impressive numbers of 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. In the 2025-2026 season, he played in the NBA G League, averaging 32 minutes per game and recording 24.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks, with 47% shooting and 36.3% three-point shooting, including multiple 30-plus-point performances.

Banton has strong abilities and is skilled in chaotic game situations. During this offseason, other CBA teams also made offers for Banton, but Shandong Heroes ultimately signed him. Many Shandong fans are very satisfied with this foreign player. As a result, Shandong Heroes only need to sign another capable foreign guard. Whether in terms of domestic players or foreign players, Shandong Heroes are much stronger than last season, and their performance in the new season is highly anticipated.