WOW! Rumor has it that the Liaoning team is considering trading Zhang Zhenlin! He’s a top-tier small forward with three championships under his belt.

WOW, WOW.

Now the spotlight can turn to the CBA trade market.

A reputable basketball platform in China reported that after Liaoning secured Jiang Yuxing from Jilin in a 3-for-1 trade, they began to address Zhang Zhenlin’s status and have already held talks with certain teams...

What? Liaoning is actually thinking about trading 26-year-old Zhang Zhenlin, who, if fully healthy, remains one of the top forwards in the current CBA. Over five seasons with the team, he’s reached the finals four times and won three championships.

Last season, due to injuries, Zhang Zhenlin played only 16 regular season games for Liaoning, starting 15 of them. He averaged 31.4 minutes, contributing 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals, with shooting percentages of 41.6%, 32.5%, and 90%. In the playoffs, he averaged 25 minutes, posting 7.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, with shooting percentages of 32.7%, 16.7%, and 68.8%.

This is exactly why Zhang Zhenlin was initially selected for the Chinese men’s basketball training squad this summer, but soon had to withdraw due to a recurrence of an old injury, missing out on the 2025 Asian Cup finals.

According to previous reports from domestic media, the Guangdong team is hoping to acquire Zhang Zhenlin from Liaoning by offering Xu Xin, who has already requested a trade. This news hasn’t been confirmed yet, but there’s a certain possibility it could happen.

First, ever since Zhou Peng left, Guangdong has lacked a strong small forward, so getting Zhang Zhenlin would be ideal; second, with Han Dejun nearing retirement, Liaoning could develop the 21-year-old Xu Xin as his successor.

The problem is, it’s clearly impossible for Guangdong to trade just Xu Xin for Zhang Zhenlin; they might need to include a national team-level player or some cash for the deal to go through.

Whether Zhang Zhenlin goes to Guangdong or elsewhere, his departure from Liaoning would undoubtedly be the biggest blockbuster trade of this summer’s offseason. He’s currently on a B-class contract set to expire next summer.

Last summer, Liaoning let go of team icon Guo Ailun, and now this summer they’re planning to send away their new star Zhang Zhenlin. The team has been absolutely wild these past two years!