It's a 2:1 trade that's different from what we expected. Why did KCC have no choice but to pursue Lee Seung Hyun's trade
Jun 17, 2025
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KCC and Hyundai Mobis officially announced their trade on the 17th. KCC gave up Lee Seung-hyun and Jeon Joon-beom and recruited Jang Jae-seok.
KCC, which recruited FA's biggest fish Huh Hoon, secured a solid big man Jang Jae-seok while solving the salary cap problem.
Hyundai Mobis upgraded its power by securing the league's top big men Lee Seung-hyun and shooter Jeon Jun-beom.
What is the background of this trade.
KCC recruited Huh Hoon. It was a bold recruitment to fill the weaknesses of the main ball handler. He signed a contract for an annual salary of 800 million won. KCC, which has the existing Big 4 (Lee Seung-hyun, Heo Ung, Choi Jun-yong, Song Kyo-chang), could not match the salary cap.
In the end, KCC appointed Heo Woong Choi Joon-yong and Song Kyo-chang after agonizing over Heo Hoon's compensation player, and Lee Seung-hyun was excluded. It was to match the salary cap.
However, KT opted for cash compensation. A professional basketball official said, `Lee Seung-hyun was excluded from the compensation player, which made him feel a little frustrated with KCC.'
For KCC, Lee Seung-hyun's trade has become a necessity, not an option, to meet the salary cap.
I just happened to have the right trade partner. It was Ulsan Hyundai Mobis. There was a trade card called Jang Jae-seok and an extra salary cap.
This season, Hyundai Mobis placed great importance on the FA market. Lee Woo-seok joined the military and recruited Seo Myung-jin and Jang Jae-seok, who were released as FA. However, due to compensation regulations within the top 30 in annual salary, he signed a contract with Seo Myung-jin and Jang Jae-seok for an appropriate salary.
In the case of Jang Jae-seok, it was also mentioned as a trade card. Ham Ji-hoon, who was in the same position, had decided to extend his active role for one year. There was also Lee Dae-heon.
The new coach Yang Dong-geun had planned to transplant his strong rotation and activity into the team color. Jang Jae-seok was also a big man who could run, but he is basically a big man with strength in under-the-goal dominance and height.
Hyundai Mobis' strength was that it had a lot of room for salary cap. Until just before the trade, Hyundai Mobis was expected to have a total annual salary of about 2.2 billion won (3 billion won in salary cap). Around 800 million were empty in the salary cap.
There was no big problem even if he paid Jang Jae-seok (250 million won per year) and accepted Lee Seung-hyun (a salary has not been decided yet), who is expected to earn between 600 million won and 700 million won.
KCC wanted a one-on-one trade between Lee Seung-hyun and Jang Jae-seok. Hyundai Mobis, which chose the rebuilding mode this season, had nothing urgent. However, Lee's charm was powerful. With Ham Ji-hoon highly likely to retire after the end of this season, Lee Seung-hyun was a sure card to maintain his under-the-goal strength for the next two to three years. If Lee Woo-seok returns, there was also an advantage of being able to immediately win the championship. In the end, Hyundai Mobis even wanted veteran shooter Jeon Joon-beom with Lee Seung-hyun, and KCC accepted.
Recently, such trade points were made in the Japanese training session of the secretariat of 10 clubs, and a 2-1 trade was eventually made.
If KCC maintains the Big 5 from the perspective of KCC, several problems arise. I can't match the salary cap. It's a key issue. In addition, even if the playing time is evenly distributed, more than 30 minutes cannot be guaranteed. One or two players are bound to be dissatisfied with their playing time. This is the background of Lee's trade. However, it is a 'double-edged sword'. KCC's control under the basket could decrease due to Lee Seung-hyun's bleeding. Last season, Lee Seung-hyun played his part alone despite the core's string injury. Choi Joon-yong and Song Kyo-chang, the core of KCC, are at high risk of injury. Jang Jae-seok joined, but if any of the four big players are injured, a dark cloud could be cast on KCC's winning front. There is also a possibility that Lee Seung-hyun's gap is larger than expected.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
