Chasson Randle’s journey back to the NBA has taken some twists and turns, but is nearing a close. Per a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Randle is signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
At this point, it’s unknown if Randle is signing a 10 Day contract or a rest of the season deal. Givony had reported last week that Randle had been blocked by the Chinese Basketball Association from signing two different 10 Day deals in February.
Randle is a two-year veteran of the NBA and played last season with the Washington Wizards. While with the Tianjin Pioneers, Randle had averaged 24.8 points per game. When the CBA shut down operations in late-January due to the outbreak of coronavirus, Randle was one of several US-born players to return to the United States.
Randle had recently sought to get out of this contract with Tianjin due to lack of payments. While the CBA has suspended play, several players have tried to sign elsewhere, including in the NBA and NBA G-League. Leaving a contract with an overseas club first requires the team to agree to release the player. The player must then obtain a letter of clearance from FIBA before signing with another team.
With the Warriors, Randle will give the team additional point guard depth. Stephen Curry is still out, although his return should come fairly soon. Jordan Poole has been starting recently, but he’s nicked up with a rolled ankle. And backup guard Ky Bowman suffered a badly sprained ankle recently that will keep him out for a while.
The CBA has stated their intention is to resume play on April 1st, but very little information has been shared beyond that. Around Asia and Europe, many sporting events have been impacted due to the spread of the virus. The Tokyo Marathon was held with only elite runners invited and spectators were urged to stay away from the marathon route. Soccer and basketball games have been played in closed venues with fans barred from attending, or postponed altogether.
The NBA released a statement on Sunday that said they are monitoring the situation closely, but that there are no plans to cancel games.