Buyout confirmed! Farewell, Zhao Rui! Signed a new 3-year big contract

It is confirmed,Zhao Rui is joining the Beijing team.

In his first season with Xinjiang, Zhao Rui participated in 9 regular season games, starting 5 times, averaging 26.3 minutes with 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. In the playoffs, he played 5 games, starting 4, averaging 25.2 minutes and scoring 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. In the second season, he took part in 26 regular season games, starting 10 times, averaging 26.7 minutes with 14.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1 steal. He only played one playoff game, logging 18 minutes with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Notably, at least officially, Xinjiang did not receive any player in exchange for Zhao Rui; both sides reached a buyout agreement ending the last year of his D-level contract, making him a restricted free agent, after which the Beijing team claimed him...

Reporter Xue Sijia from Oriental Sports Daily commented: "The Beijing team has re-signed Zhao Rui with a 3-year C-level contract. ”

No matter how it’s done, Zhao Rui bringing his talent to Beijing is now a done deal. He can finally move to his originally intended destination and has a better chance to compete for his fourth CBA championship in his career.

Beijing has been the boldest team in moves over the past two years, bringing in Chen Yingjun and Zhou Qi last summer. Last season, they achieved a 32-14 record, ranking third in the league. In the playoffs, they first defeated their city rivals Beikong 3-1, swept Shanxi 3-0 in the semifinals, but lost 2-4 to Guangsha in the finals, finishing as runners-up.

With Zhao Rui’s arrival, Beijing can form a local "big three" lineup with him, Chen Yingjun, and Zhou Qi for the new season. The concern is that Zeng Fanbo might play in the NBA or other overseas leagues in the 25-26 season, and the forward position may be weak relying only on 30-year-old Lei Meng and 32-year-old Zhai Xiaochuan.

However, Beijing can focus on acquiring wing players in their foreign player recruitment to fill the gap that might be left by Zeng Fanbo’s possible departure.

This year’s CBA transfer market has been truly wild, arguably the most intense ever, with stars like Zhao Rui, Zhang Zhenlin, and Cui Yongxi all changing teams, which is exactly how a commercial league should operate.