Ding Yanyuhang will join the G League's Dallas Legends

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The NBA's Dallas Mavericks waived Chinese forward Ding Yanyuhang on Wednesday, reported Bobby Karalla from Mavs.com. According to Tencent Sports, Ding will join the Dallas Legends, the Mavericks' affiliate team in G League for one year.

Ding agreed to allow the Mavericks to turn his current deal into an Exhibit 10 contract, which will send him to the development league. He will not attend the Legends' training camp nor will he join the team before recovering from his knee injury.

Ding Yanyuhang has been suffering from a knee injury for months. /VCG Photo

Compared with Ding's salary with the CBA last season, he will make a lot less in the G League where a player is paid about 7,000 US dollars a month. A season is usually five months, meaning Ding will receive about 35,000 dollars. Though if Ding plays in the G League for over 60 days, he can get a bonus ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 dollars, it's still way less for the former CBA MVP.

Ding has been suffering from a knee injury for a while and that's why he was only on the court for eight minutes and 33 seconds during the NBA China Game against the Philadelphia 76ers. In his condition, it's not realistic to expect the Mavericks to leave a spot for him in their squad in the 2018-19 regular season.

Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Mavericks, likes Ding as a player. /VCG Photo

On the other hand, the team still likes Ding as a player and that's why they offered to help him recover first at their medical center. Asking him to join the Legends should be seen as the way to do that: Though Ding will be with the G League team, the Mavericks will still be in touch with him and pay attention to his recovery and training.

Ding himself said that he has never regretted his decision. "In the past two years, many people tried to convince me to stop the efforts because they will get me to nowhere. But if I could choose again, I would do the same as I did in the two years. I have never regretted my decision or changed my mind," said Ding in a letter to Tencent Sports.