The spreading of the new coronavirus in China has led to the departure of many foreign players in the CBA. However, Lithuanian center Donatas Motiejūnas is an exception. According to Lithuanian reporter Donatas Urbonas, the former NBA player wants to stay with the Shanghai Sharks.

"Donatas Motiejunas revealed a few NBA teams expressed interest in signing him, there are EuroLeague options too. But Motiejunas remains under the contract with Shanghai Sharks and is not willing to terminate it," Urbonas wrote on Twitter.

The winter break of the CBA had been scheduled to end on February 1 but the virus outbreak changed everything. The league told the teams that the rest of the regular season will not resume before April 1.

Home-grown players may be okay with that, but foreign ones are a different story. Most of their contracts will be over by the end of the season but their salaries are a fixed number. Since the CBA teams won't pay them extra money for delayed games, it's only understandable that foreign players seek work on a "part-time job" somewhere else.

Some have already made their moves. Marko Todorovic of the Tianjin Pioneers is reportedly in touch with Spain's Saski Baskonia, Dwight Buycks left the Shenzhen Aviators to join Olympiacos in Greece and Manny Harris of the Shandong Heroes signed a deal with an Israeli team.

Foreign players leaving is definitely not good news for CBA clubs which will need these players when the season resumes. Under such circumstances, Motiejunas' decision is worthy of note. In his third season in the CBA, he averaged 22.8 points, 15.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

The Lithuania national team previously recruited him for the training camp roster for the coming Olympic qualifiers. Motiejunas at first wanted to stay in Shanghai but he changed his mind and went back home to join the camp after the virus outbreak.