Busan BNK, which finished last in the 2023-2024 season, has signed Park Hye-jin and Kim Sonia in the free agency market.
“We signed Park Hye-jin to a four-year contract with an annual salary of 270 million won and an allowance of 50 million won,” BNK announced on April 18. “We also signed Kim Sonia to a four-year contract with an annual salary of 300 million won and an allowance of 100 million won.”
BNK also re-signed guard Ahn Hye-ji, an internal free agent, to a four-year contract with an annual salary of 280 million won ($30 million) and an allowance of 30 million won. 토토사이트 추천 This gives BNK a strong guard core of Park Hye-jin and Ahn Hye-ji alongside Lee So-hee.
Park Hye-jin played 17 regular-season games for Asan Woori Bank in the 2023-2024 season, averaging 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
Selected by Woori with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 rookie draft, Park was a key part of Woori’s six consecutive championships from the 2012-2013 season. She is the league’s leading guard, having been named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Championship Finals three times, tied for first in the category.
“I would like to thank Chairman BNK Bindaein, Owner Kim Sung-joo, and Coach Park Jeong-jeong for calling me back to my hometown, and I will always do my best on the court, so please give me more encouragement and support,” said Park, who was born in Busan, South Korea.
He also thanked Woori Bank coach Lee Sat-woo, saying, “Thank you for raising me from a promising player, and as you understand my choice, I will be a player who does my best until the end.”
Kim Sonia, whose mother is Romanian, averaged 16.5 points and 9.1 rebounds for Incheon Shinhan Bank last season.
She will have no problem adjusting to her new role with BNK after playing with Park Hye-jin at Woori Bank until the 2021-2022 season.
BNK finished last in the 2023-2024 regular season with a record of 6 wins and 24 losses, but the addition of Park Hye-jin and Kim Sonia will help the team make a leap to the upper mid-tier next season.
BNK could bring in a compensatory player, as former goalkeeper Jin An has become a free agent and joined Bucheon Hana OneQ. With Shin Ji-hyun, Hana OneQ’s main man, likely to be removed from the protected list, this is an opportunity for BNK to strengthen.
On the other hand, Woori Bank, which won the championship in the 2023-2024 season, is expected to be weakened by the departure of most of its free agents.
Park Ji-hyun became a voluntary dismissal as he wanted to challenge the foreign stage, while Park Hye-jin, Na Yoon-jung, and Choi Yi-sam all transferred. Nayun-jung signed with Cheongju KB on the same day, while Choi Yi-sam will wear a Shinhan Bank jersey.
Woori Bank is expected to line up next season with compensation players from FA transfers and Asian quota players, centered on its signature Kim Dan-bi.
