'Five years 700 million won' FA's biggest word to renew 'super-speed' contract

"I wanted to play happy basketball again in Wonju."

"FA's biggest fish" Kang Sang-jae signed a five-year contract with Wonju DB on the 14th for 700 million won.

Kang was considered the biggest fish in the FA market. However, he announced the renewal of his contract a week after the opening. There were many reasons, but the biggest one was his affection for Wonju and DB.

Kang Sang-jae said in a telephone interview with MK Sports, "I had a positive conversation with the club until the 13th, and I was able to decide after talking with my family."

"I was thinking about a five-year contract from the beginning. Of course, I could have exercised my FA rights once more after signing a three-year contract, but I wanted to continue to improve with (Kim Joo-sung), coaches and colleagues over a long period of five years. That's why I chose five years," he added.

Kang played in 51 games during the 2023-24 season, recording 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in an average of 32 minutes and 59 seconds. He was only three votes behind MVP Ethan Albano.

As such, Kang's performance last season was remarkable. It is especially shocking that he successfully transitioned to No. 3. As a result, the "triple post" that DB had hoped for was able to operate normally and rank No. 1 in the regular league.

Kang Sang-jae and Albano will also be in the same team for the upcoming 2024-25 season. As Albano signed a two-year contract early on and Kang Sang-jae stayed, MVP players joined hands once again.

Kang Sang-jae said, "I don't know what will happen to the reinforcement of other teams' power, but I think we will also have to grow more than before to relieve our regret."

DB manager Kim Joo-sung, who is currently in the U.S., was also happy with the news of Kang Sang-jae's renewal. Kang said, "(Kim Joo-sung) is currently in the U.S., so I couldn't meet him separately. Instead, I contacted him saying that he did a good job signing the contract. The manager also congratulated me and said that he will help me develop and grow over the past five years. I think we will be able to show an upgraded version of the upcoming season than before."

700 million won is certainly a large amount, but it may be a little disappointing compared to last summer's KBL-class forwards boasting more than 750 million won in ransom.

However, Kang had a different opinion. "I am not disappointed at all. When I think about my standards ahead of the FA match, the first thing that came to mind was not money. Team strength and victory came first. I successfully transitioned to the position line last season, and I think I achieved half of my success thanks to them. I played basketball happily with the great coaches, coaches and colleagues. I felt happy again while playing basketball, so I was able to stay. I just thank you for making such a good suggestion to play happy basketball in Wonju again."

The difference between the regular league and the playoffs was the half that Kang mentioned. He targeted the opponent team's No. 3 throughout the regular season with overwhelming miss matches. In the semifinal playoff against KCC in Busan, however, he struggled with players of his size. It was a task that he had to solve without fail.

"After switching to No. 3, I was able to target No. 3 by utilizing the miss match, but even with a player of similar size, I felt that I had to fine-tune various parts such as face-up, post-play, and 2 to 2 play. I want to show you an easier, more fun, and dynamic basketball next season," Kang said.

"(Choi) Jun-yong and (Song) Kyo-chang are players who are better at basketball than I am. Even so, I think my basketball life started properly from last season. There will be many shortcomings now, but as I have grown with the help of coaches and coaches, I want to continue to harass them and gain a lot of know-how. I will become a more scary player and catch up with players in the same position. I desperately want to do that."

Kang Sangjae, who hasn't won yet since his professional debut. He is once again challenging for the top in the DB.

Kang said, "I was so disappointed that I didn't win the title, and it was a season where I learned that it doesn't come easily. As the captain of DB, I felt sorry for my colleagues, coaches and coaches. So I will prepare for this tough and stronger season starting this summer."

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