When Lee Dae-sung (34) applied for a KBL free agent in the B-League of Japanese professional basketball, the A team started preparing to recruit him. Daegu Korea Gas Corporation is full of complaints, as it allowed Lee to play overseas without conditions, and could not even secure compensation players. Lee Dae-sung’s agent said, “I understand KGC’s position,” but said, “There was nothing we could do about it.”
After the 2022-2023 season, Lee Dae-sung who became a free agent announced that he would play overseas. His former team KGC could have collected compensation players or compensation if he moved to another team, but it released him without conditions. For this reason, the B team in the Seoul metropolitan area, which was interested in Lee Dae-sung, also gave up recruiting him. Both KGC and the B team respected Lee Dae-sung’s intention to play abroad.
Initially aiming to advance to Australia, Lee settled in Mikawa, Japan, and averaged 7.2 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 60 games this season. Along with Lee, Mikawa also ranked second in the Central Conference with 36 wins and 28 losses. Lee, whose contract with Mikawa ends in May, applied for the FA after a year of playing overseas.
Things got complicated when KGC released Lee Dae-sung as a free agent instead of using the “arbitrary withdrawal” method. As Lee Dae-sung was expected to return in four to five years, he felt burdened by giving 550 million won in annual salary to Lee Dae-sung, who is in his 40s. However, when Lee returns to Korea, he can play for any team, and KGC is unable to receive compensation by giving Lee Dae-sung to other teams. “(Lee) was the representative player of the team, and the team also took great care not to let the player feel sad,” a KGC official said. “In order to prevent such a situation, KBL should come up with supplementary measures, and the team that takes Daesung should also give compensation players.”
Lee Dae-sung’s side does not mean that he will return to Korea unconditionally, but that he had no choice but to prepare for the case when the contract was not extended with Japan. Agent Lee Dae-sung said, “There are some aspects that things did not go according to our plans and will,” and explained, “The Japanese club is also aware of the fact that Lee Dae-sung applied for an FA in Korea in case he does not remain in the B-League.”
First of all, Lee is said to have high possibility of staying in Japan. Mikawa recently extended his contract with coach Ryan Mitsman. This means that he is satisfied with the performance he has made this season. Analysts in the basketball community say that chances for Lee to replace him are small as the coach made good use of him. However, it is known that Lee is not very willing to play in Japan. “There have been rumors from the middle of the season that Lee Dae-sung will make a comeback,” a basketball player said. “Lee was treated as a foreign player in Japan, and as a veteran, he struggled with unfamiliar environments.”
The season is over with Mika, and although Lee applied for FA, he is not in a position to sign a contract with any other team right away. This is because a contract with a KBL club can only be signed after the contract between Lee and Mika is finalized. Lee has signed a contract with Mika until the end of May, while the FA will be open until May 28. Therefore, only when Mika terminates his contract, will Lee be able to play with a Korean team. “There is a document confirming that the contract with his team has been finalized before the contract arrives to begin,” a KBL official said. “As all contracts signed with Lee before this document arrives are invalid, the confirmation document must arrive within the contract period.” FA negotiations will continue until May 28.
BY: 토토사이트 순위