Guangdong Announces Zhou Peng’s Return, Sumner Set to Renew Contract, Li Yuanxin Leaves Team

After last season’s performance fell short of expectations, Guangdong made major adjustments to its management and coaching staff during the offseason. Du Feng became the team’s head coach, while Zhu Fangyu became the team’s honorary adviser. Guangdong has announced a foreign coaching staff led by Yakovlevich, and the team is also selecting candidates for positions including general manager, global basketball ecosystem director and chief scout.

Regarding players, there had been continuous reports that Guangdong was interested in bringing veteran Zhou Peng back. Recently, the matter received confirmation. Guangdong announced that the team had reached an agreement with Zhou Peng and the two sides signed a one-year C-level contract. Media personality “Qiuquan Zhao Tanchang” later reported that Zhou Peng returned on a lower-salary player contract. He still has strong feelings about playing for his former team and a strong desire to contribute, so he will wear his former No. 11 jersey again.

Zhou Peng is a decorated player for Guangdong. He spent 16 seasons with the team, helped the club win eight championships, and was named the season’s Defensive Player of the Year. Four years ago in the summer, Zhou left Guangdong to join Shenzhen, and many Guangdong fans were reluctant to see him depart. During his four seasons with Shenzhen, Zhou remained in good form and also served as the team’s head coach, although his coaching results were relatively ordinary. This offseason, Guangdong underwent major changes in its management and coaching staff, and the team’s management hoped Zhou could return. Zhou also wanted to return to Guangdong to help the team compete for another championship, and the two sides eventually signed a one-year player contract.

In addition to Zhou Peng’s return, Guangdong also received confirmed news regarding its foreign players. According to media personality “Yi Mian LeoLee,” Sumner will continue playing for Guangdong, which is another positive development for the team. Sumner performed very well for Guangdong last season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. However, he suffered an injury before the playoffs and missed the postseason, which was considered one of the reasons Guangdong was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

During this offseason, Guangdong had been working to reach a contract extension with Sumner and offered him a new deal. Although Sumner also received an offer from a Turkish team, he did not accept it. At this point, it appears Sumner wants to continue playing for Guangdong, making a contract extension likely. As for other foreign players, Guangdong is also searching actively. Reports say the team has targeted former NBA interior player Omer Yurtseven, but it will need to compete with other teams for him, and the outcome remains uncertain.

For other players, Guangdong intends to loan Huang Mingyi and Yang Yi to other teams for development. According to the latest information, Huang Mingyi has been confirmed to join Jilin on loan for the new season. In exchange, Yang Tengfei will play for Guangdong. As for Yang Yi, he previously attended a tryout with Ningbo but returned to the team recently. This suggests Guangdong and Ningbo did not reach an agreement regarding Yang Yi’s loan move. Meanwhile, Li Yuanxin, who previously played for Guangdong, should have already returned to Ningbo. If so, Guangdong’s interior reinforcement would only include Yang Tengfei.