Laguna’s Fate is Decided by KBL Board

‘Domestic player? Foreign players?' Laguna’s fate is… Decided by KBL Board of Directors

After looking at the complex 'four-party contract' involving the player, KBL, the Basketball Association, and the affiliated team, it is difficult to recognize a domestic player considering each party's interests... Possibility of leaving Korea

As the 2023-2024 professional basketball season ended with Busan KCC winning, fans' attention is focused on the future of La Gun-ah, the center of the 'super team'.

Laguna is a special naturalized player.

He played in the league and national team under a 'four-party contract' involving the professional basketball team, the Korea Basketball Association, and the KBL.

The contract period with Busan KCC runs until the end of this month, so Laguna’s new path will be decided soon. 카지노사이트

According to Yonhap News coverage on the 8th, KBL will soon hold a board meeting to sort out Laguna's 'status'.

Originally, the board meeting was scheduled to be held after May 31, when Laguna's contract ends, but since the season ended early this month, the meeting may be held sooner.

Nothing has been decided yet regarding Laguna's future, including status, contract method, period, size, and whether or not the contract will be extended with the Korea Basketball Association.

It seems highly likely that this board meeting will be the first meeting to organize 'what issues should be discussed' surrounding Laguna.

The first issue to be discussed is status.

Laguna passed a special naturalization review by the Ministry of Justice in 2018 and obtained Korean nationality, but has been classified as a foreign player.

Even though he is a naturalized player who has responded to being called up to the national team on the condition of receiving separate allowances, there are loud voices among fans who say that it is time to recognize him as a domestic player based on his nationality.

However, in conclusion, there is a high possibility that he will be classified as a foreign player this time too.

When La Gun-ah becomes a domestic player, he must decide whether to proceed with his recruitment through the draft or free agency.

If it goes through free agency, Laguna's price could break the all-time high.

To that extent, the power of ‘domestic player’ Laguna is expected to be great.

Although Laguna is a 35-year-old veteran, she showed her strength enough to beat Alize DeShawn Johnson last season and become KCC's first foreign player.

He showed off his skills as well as his prime, averaging 22 points and 12.3 rebounds in 12 playoff games.

If La Gun-ah becomes a domestic player, the playing time limit he used to share with other foreign players will disappear.

The team that brought in La Gun-ah can maximize his power at once by recruiting two additional foreign players.

The leaders of the 10 teams attending the board meeting are also well aware of this possibility.

If La Gun-ah is classified as a domestic player, there are only two or three teams with enough salary cap to recruit him, so opposition from the remaining teams is expected.

Even if an agreement is not reached through discussion and the board of directors has to vote after heated debate, if this is the situation, it is unlikely that Laguna will receive domestic player status.

Even if a special draft is conducted as before, since he is a domestic player, his portion in the salary cap is bound to be large, so his interests are expected to differ depending on the team's circumstances.

If the board of directors sets a salary limit so that multiple teams can participate in the bidding, Laguna may object, claiming that it is discrimination from other domestic players.

It is also difficult to avoid criticism that the league excludes players who have acquired Korean nationality due to internal circumstances.

On the other hand, if foreign player eligibility continues, the relationship with the Korea Basketball Association will become complicated.

If the Basketball Association wants to continue using La Gun-ah as a naturalized player, there is a need to retain him again at the KBL level.

Laguna, who was finally classified as a foreign player, may leave Korea while negotiating with each club like other foreign players.

KBL currently sets the salary cap for foreign players at $800,000 (approximately KRW 1.03 billion) after tax, and the maximum salary cap per player is set at $600,000 (approximately KRW 770 million).

There may be a case where no club takes Laguna because they believe that if they recruit Laguna, they will have to give up other high-quality foreign players due to the salary structure.

If this happens, the Basketball Association will face the delicate problem of having to use naturalized players who play in other countries for the national team.

If the team in question opposes the selection, it will be difficult to resolve the issue, unlike the KBL team.

Even if a team wants to use him as a foreign player, in order for Laguna to play as a naturalized player like he is now, elaborate detailed conditions must be agreed upon with the player.

When KCC signs a three-year contract with La Gun-ah in 2021, it will be necessary to follow up on whether various conditions, such as national team incentives, will be inherited as is, or whether the conditions will be lowered since his skills are lower than at the time.

Even if the discussion progresses to this point, it will be difficult to accompany Laguna unless he accepts the lowered ransom.

If the Basketball Association refuses to use La Gun-ah as a naturalized player, La Gun-ah will have to compete in the KBL market as an ‘ordinary foreign player’.

In this case, as the national team allowance and corresponding incentives disappear, the amount of money Laguna receives also decreases.

If he cannot accept this, he will have no choice but to say goodbye to KBL.

The Basketball Association is currently discussing internally whether to accompany Laguna, who showed the same skills as in his prime during this playoffs.

An association official said, "We are preparing a meeting with KBL to discuss the Laguna issue in earnest."