noveldrama
Chapter 936 936 559 The End of an Era_3
Chapter 936 936 559 The End of an Era_3
?Chapter 936: Chapter 559: The End of an Era_3 Chapter 936: Chapter 559: The End of an Era_3 Kyrie Irving from Duke, Bradley Beal from Florida, teammate of the Brow from Kentucky, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Damian Lillard from Weber State University.
The Knicks wanted Durant, they wanted him too much.
They had failed in the bidding war for Anthony years ago, which kept them from forming a competitive team while Stoudemire was healthy.
Now the Supersonics were putting Durant up for trade, an opportunity that came once in a blue moon, and the Knicks had sufficient chips in hand.
Although this year’s second overall pick was essentially equivalent to the trade value of an All-Star player, whether one could actually draft an All-Star still depended on luck at the draft.
Therefore, Presti naturally asked for a higher price from New York.
After Plan A with the Hornets failed, the arrival of the Knicks sparked Presti’s Plan B.
In his position, he couldn’t go against the owner’s wishes, but how to reasonably refuse keeping Bosh who desired to pursue a fifth championship?
The Knicks’ offer provided Presti with an answer.
In the second round of negotiations, Presti demanded that New York throw in Amar’e Stoudemire and future draft rights into the deal.
A second overall pick with All-Star value, an All-Star big man whose recovery from a major injury was uncertain, and additional draft picks—all this for just Durant, was it worth it?
For New York, of course, it was worth it.
No matter how promising a draft class was perceived, drafting always came with the gamble element.
The Trail Blazers would draft Sam Bowie in 1984 and the Detroit Pistons would choose Darko Milicic in 2003, even prime draft picks ultimately served the team’s competitiveness.
The Knicks did not believe they had a chance to get a player like Durant at the draft.
However, when the Supersonics brought up including Stoudemire, it truly hurt the Knicks’ management.
Even though Stoudemire had just had a major injury, he was now healed, a man who had fully recovered from a knee arthroscopy at the turn of the century, so his comeback post-injury could be anticipated.
Still, when compared to the prospect of acquiring Durant, the Knicks could give up anything.
After two days of intense negotiations, both sides reached an agreement on draft day.
Soon after, WOJ released the trade bomb: “The Supersonics send Kevin Durant to the New York Knicks!”
Before long, the terms of the trade were exposed.
The Supersonics traded Durant for this year’s number two pick, Amar’e Stoudemire, and first-round picks in 2014 and 2016.
When the deal went through, many Supersonics fans couldn’t believe it was real.
Everything had happened too fast!
Just less than a week after Durant requested a trade, the team completed all the subsequent steps.
They didn’t even try to persuade Durant to stay!
However, Presti traded Durant for a large number of chips; not to mention this year’s second overall pick, but also Stoudemire and future draft rights.
Moreover, the best part was getting Stoudemire back, which meant the Supersonics no longer had the problem of re-signing Bosh.
Because Stoudemire was Bosh’s replacement.
From the perspective of team building, there was no reason for them to keep Bosh.
Doing so undoubtedly pleased Clay Bennett, but Durant’s departure had already indicated that the Supersonics’ competitiveness was bound to decline, and could Stoudemire really be as good as Bosh after coming back from a serious injury?
Upon learning of the trade, Bosh was furious.
He was acutely aware of what Stoudemire’s arrival meant.
Therefore, he announced that he would focus on the free market and would not attend the championship celebration held on June 30.
Moreover, he threw shade at Stoudemire from a distance.
“The most important thing about playing here is understanding sacrifice,” Bosh said sarcastically, “and most importantly, you don’t know if your sacrifice is worth it.”
Before the trade was finalized, Presti had called to inquire about Yu Fei’s opinion.
However, Yu Fei was indifferent to the trade itself.
But he knew that acquiring Stoudemire would give the Supersonics a reason not to re-sign Bosh.
Therefore, on the phone, Yu Fei said, “Sam, if I had an employee like you, I would definitely keep you in my company until you retire.”
“Don’t you have any objections?” Presti originally thought Yu Fei would strongly oppose because Yu Fei undoubtedly hoped Bosh would stay.
It was certain that Stoudemire wouldn’t fit with the Supersonics like Bosh, nor have the same team value as Bosh. This matter related to the team’s competitiveness, which should have been GGOT’s utmost concern.
“I don’t care anymore,” Yu Fei said with an indifference that Presti could feel even over the phone, “Clay Bennett isn’t worth it.”
After a while, Presti hung up the phone. He was relieved that Yu Fei hadn’t become an obstacle to the trade. But what did Yu Fei’s negative opinion of Bennett imply?
Presti’s gaze fell on the spreadsheet on his office desk, which was about the players’ salaries and contract years. The most conspicuous first row read: Frye Yu, annual salary 19 million US Dollars, expiring in the summer of 2013.
???
Yu Fei was increasingly annoyed by things beyond his control. Too many uncontrollable events had happened this year, and the most significant ones were all related to Clay Bennett.
Yu Fei’s disgust for him could no longer be described in words. Since the team moved to Seattle, in order to keep the Supersonics there, he virtually equated the interests of the management with his own, making sure to attend every activity of the team, and, through his efforts, the Supersonics gained a market second only to the New York Knicks.
And how was he repaid by Bennett?
There was only one way to gain complete control of the team.
After a while, Yu Fei received a text message.
It was a farewell text, but it seemed that it wasn’t just a relationship that was ending, but rather a great era in modern NBA history.
“I will always be grateful for everything you’ve taught me in the past five years; it will be the most important treasure of my life. I wish you and Seattle all the best for the future.”
—Kevin Durant
The GOAT finally smiled.
His pregnant fiancée asked, “What happened?”
“Nothing, I just find it amazing,” Yu Fei replied with a smile, “Why can’t that country bumpkin be as grateful as Kevin Durant?”
(1) Although McGee is famously known for being one of Jordan’s “no-look draft picks”, that’s hindsight working marvels. In 2012, McGee was the consensus second pick in the draft, seen by scouts as “near flawless except for needing a major overhaul in his shooting form”, and was hailed as a combination of Gerald Wallace and Scottie Pippen. The former was the original Elvis, while the latter was the man behind the GOAT, so picking him back then made perfect sense. Just like when the Golden State Warriors chose the supposedly smart pick, which everyone agreed with at the time, but now no one wants to admit it.