Former NBA player Tyreke Evans, who was suspended by the league for two years for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, was in touch with some CBA teams, according to Chinese basketball reporter Song Xiang on Friday.

Evans was dismissed from the NBA on May 17. His team, the Indiana Pacers, said they were informed of the league's decision, took it seriously and "will reach out to Tyreke" to offer their support.

Since Evans was disqualified from the NBA, many expect him to play overseas so he can remain competitive in the two years and the CBA is one of his possible destinations. Before him, O.J. Mayo, who was also dismissed by the NBA because of a drug problem, came close joining the CBA's Beijing Royal Fighters but the deal was off in the end. Currently, Mayo is with the Hunan Jinjian Miye of the National Basketball League (NBL), the second-tier league in China.

Evans and Mayo have a lot in common: they were both selected with high draft picks – Mayo was the No.3 pick in 2008 and Evans was the No.4 pick in 2009; both became famous on small-market teams – Mayo with the Memphis Grizzlies, Evans with the Sacramento Kings; both had shouldered great expectations but failed to meet them.

Compared with Mayo, Evans is in a better situation. He has better talent, which helped him drop 20-5-5 in his first NBA season – the fourth rookie player to ever do this, after Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Moreover, Evans managed to stop his career from declining by developing steady 3-point shot in the 2017-18 season and that's what made him a popular target on the market last summer. Though his performance with the Pacers was relatively disappointing in the regular season (10.2 points, 2.4 assists per game), Evans changed that in the playoffs to score 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds on average and he could bury 2.8 3-pointers per game at a rate of 55 percent. Competitively, he should be capable of earning a spot in the CBA.