Pick Westbrook

Chapter 285 What!Top salary!

As David Stern stepped onto the stage, the draft officially began.

The Cleveland Cavaliers used the No. [-] pick to select the hottest Kyrie Irving. This draft also marks that the Cavaliers have passed the post-James era and officially determined the core of reconstruction.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took Derrick Williams with the second pick, and the Utah Jazz took Enes Kanter with the third pick.

The Charlotte Hornets took Kemba Walker with the No. 9 pick, the Golden State Warriors took Klay Thompson with the No. 11 pick, and the Indiana Pacers took Kawhi Renner with the No. 15 pick. Germany.

Philadelphia 76ers take Nikola Vucevic at No. 16, Chicago Bulls take Jimmy Butler at No. 28
Day two.

The Hornets jointly announced the trade with multiple teams.

Carl Landry + Jarrett Jack packaged and traded to the Warriors, and got the Warriors' Louis Amundson + part of the cash + the 2013 first-round pick.

The Hornets traded Emeka Okafor to the Wizards for a 2013 million yuan bad contract "Rashad Lewis + [-] first-round pick.

Marco Belinelli + The Hornets' 2012 second-round pick was traded to the Bulls for Jimmy Butler, the Bulls' 2012th pick in the first round in 28.

大卫韦斯特先签后换4年4800万合同+2013年次轮选秀权，交易得到步行者队2012年第15顺位科怀·伦纳德+600万的交易特例，这笔交易也得在7月1日交易市场正式打开后才能通过。

6 month 25 day.

Hammond provided Lee with a list of free agents for this season.

Players with good ability at the center position are: Tyson Chandler, Nene, Marc Gasol, Andrew Jordan, Durham Potter, Oden, Hawes, Jeff Foster, Fesenko, Poole Spira, Muhammad.

The powerful players at the power forward position are: Glenn Davis, Humphries, Mike Roberts, Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans.

Small forward positions: Prince, Thaddeus Young, Wilson Chandler, Jeff Green, Grant Hill, Battier, Josh Howard, Reggie Williams, Stojakovic, Jamario Moon.

Point guard: Barea, Chalmers, Delonte West, Telfair, Bibby, Arroyo.

Shooting guards: Jason Richardson, Crawford, JR Smith, Afflalo, Marcus Thornton, McGrady, Stevenson, Vujacic, Belinelli, Anthony Parker, Gary Forbes.

In this list, the point guard players are slightly weak, and there are many strong players at the center position. Only Glenn Davis and Kenyon Martin are worthy of attention at the power forward position. Reserves appear to be more.

"It is worth mentioning that McGrady has announced that he will retire after the end of this season, but the current management of the Bucks has not bought out McGrady."

"In this way, McGrady won't get the salary for the next year. After all, the Bucks will renew Westbrook's contract next, so they don't even dare to occupy the salary space of 100 million."

Hammond couldn't help but talk about his old club.

The Bucks are also the calmest in this year's draft and in the private market. It can be guessed that they are preparing to keep the original lineup as much as possible and aim for three consecutive championships next season.

Of course, retaining the championship lineup is also the safest and least risky approach.

Li Lai was silent for a while, because Hammond mentioned the Bucks, he couldn't help feeling a little bit, but he recovered quickly.

"In addition to Chris Paul, Jason Smith, and rookies Leonard and Jimmy Butler, plus we traded Rashard Lewis and Lou Amundson."

"Now there are only 6 players in the Hornets who have confirmed that they will stay with the team in the new season, so we have a heavy task in the free market."

"If you wait until the trading market opens on July 7, it will be too late to contact players, so we must start recruiting in advance from now on."

"In addition to this trade list, you can also help me collect overseas players and former undrafted players to see if I can find treasure there."

Hammond hurriedly recorded what Li Lai explained, and then reminded him of something.

"The Suns have confirmed that they will negotiate a buyout with Vince Carter after the door of the trading market opens. It is currently unknown whether Carter will decide to retire or continue to play in the NBA."

"After all, Vince Carter is 34 years old. Even his cousin McGrady has announced his retirement. It seems unlikely that he will stay in the league."

Hearing this, Li Lai couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

No one of the four major shooting guards in the league can match it. At that time, Xi Ke, Dong Ai, Bei Kanan Mai was also the youth of many fans.

But no matter how powerful their physical talents were and how elegant their playing style was at the time, they still lost to the years after all.

Li Laiyao thought of Iverson's single-core battle against the OK combination in the finals of the 01 season. That round of the series also let the world see the competitiveness, blood and aggressiveness of Iverson.

And the answer AI of the year is also preparing to retire this season. The good thing is that he has already won two championship rings, and the first championship ring is even more meaningful to him.

McGrady is also preparing to retire this season, with 35 seconds and 13 points. Last season, he presented his last dance in the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals with a back injury.

McGrady just wants to prove that he is not the soft guy in the minds of most fans, and he has never doubted his talent, just doubted his own destiny.

Among the four shooting guards, only Kobe and Carter are still sticking to it. For the two, there is not much youth left.

Li looked at Hammond and said seriously: "Carter will not retire, he will still play, and he will definitely play for many years."

"His body is indeed old, but the UFO can still take off, and his heart is just like a young boy."

6 month 26 day.

Dayton Beach, Florida.

Carter drove home from Bartow.

Also within the state of Florida, Bartow is completely bordered by Dayton Beach.

McGrady specially invited Carter to his house to see his championship trophy. McGrady couldn't put it down so much that he even slept with the trophy in his arms for two consecutive nights.

Carter is very curious, when McGrady's teammates embrace the championship trophy, will there be a passionate kiss, and will they smell McGrady's body odor during the kiss.

But after Carter became curious, his face was full of disappointment.

Kobe, who is also in the top four, already has 4 championships in his hands, and Iverson also holds two championship rings.

Originally, Carter thought that he was not alone, at least he still had his brother McGrady with him.

But now, even McGrady has won the championship. It is absolutely impossible to say that Carter is not itchy or envious.

During this meeting, McGrady suggested that Carter join the Bucks directly with a basic salary after being bought out by the Suns. After all, the latter is the biggest favorite team in the league today.

The combination of Westbrook + Curry + Cousins, coupled with the best sixth man Dragic, All-Star Yi Jianlian and other helpers, has great hopes of hitting three consecutive championships next season.

But Carter rejected the opponent without hesitation, and he would not even go to championship teams such as the Heat, Lakers, and Spurs.

"The championship, you have to work hard to have a sense of accomplishment, and I will never accept the championship lying down."

Naturally, Carter will not announce his retirement this season. His youth is not over yet, and he knows his current physical condition.

Among the four shooting guards, only Carter has suffered the fewest injuries throughout his career. He is also determined to join a team that can help the opponent win the championship trophy after being bought out by the Suns.

"Um?!"

When Carter returned to the door of his house, he found a little girl standing in front of his house. Seeing her anxious expression, she seemed to have been standing at the door for a long time.

Carter walked over and said gently, "Hey, little guy, who are you waiting for here? Can't you find your way home?"

The little girl glanced at Carter and compared the photos in her hand and said, "Are you Vince Carter?"

Kan Kat nodded to confirm her identity, and the little girl quickly handed over the crumpled note in her hand.

"Two people asked me to give this to you."

Carter took the note and opened it to read, it said: We will contact you when the door of the trading market opens, please do not rush to decide the future before then.

Carter frowned.

There was no signature or date on this piece of paper, and even the piece of paper itself was torn in half from a piece of paper, and it was torn extremely irregularly, as if it had been torn off randomly.

Carter couldn't help wondering if it was someone's prank. He asked curiously, "What do those two people look like?"

The little girl stretched out her hand, raised her head and snorted.

Carter was stunned and didn't understand.

The little girl said: "Don't worry too much, my standard for charging money is the same. The two people just gave me 100 dollars before I agreed to help them with their work, and you are the same."

Carter pouted helplessly, and could only take out a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket and said, "Okay, you can tell me now."

The little girl took a careful look at the money, then put it in her pocket and nodded in satisfaction, "One of them is a man with a big belly, I don't know him."

"But I know the big brother who looks a bit handsome with the opponent. He is the head coach Li Lai who led the Bucks to the championship last season."

"It's him!" Carter exclaimed in surprise.

At this time, Carter finally understood the reason why the other party did not choose to call him or wait for him at his door.

It's the fear of the league investigating them for recruiting violations.

Carter also knows that Li Lai is now the owner of the Hornets. He was praised by many legendary coaches in the league in the past three years, and he was also the head coach of McGrady last season.

So Li Lai is planning to recruit himself.

While Carter was continuing to think about this matter, the little girl took out a jersey from Carter's time with the Raptors from the backpack behind her and said.

"Sign me your name."

Carter folded his arms and said angrily, "You also watch the NBA? Then how can you not know who I am?"

The little girl laughed and said: "What if you know that I am your fan and don't give me money, don't talk too much, just sign it for me."

Carter shook his head and walked towards the door of his house, saying, "I don't want it, unless you give me back the $100."

The little girl touched her purse and was very embarrassed, but she quickly thought of a solution, raised her head and said happily: "Hey, are you recruiting illegally?"

"How much would I be worth if I sold this news to the paparazzi?"

Carter looked back at the little girl as if he was looking at a devil. In the end, in addition to signing the little girl's jersey, he also paid the other party a hush money of $100.

When the little girl left in a jump, Carter couldn't help laughing and shouted on a whim, "What's your name?"

The little girl turned her head and took out the lollipop in her mouth and said, "Peppa Brooks, you can call me little Peppa."

6 month 30 day.

The last day of contract renewals and quotations in advance, after the calculation of the salary cap, the last season officially ended.

7 month 1 day.

The league trading market is open and the new season begins.

When the contract expires, the player officially becomes a free agent. Each team can declare to give up the free agent originally belonging to the team. After the player is amnesty, he can be obtained by bidding.

"Because of the Bucks, the entire league has entered the small ball era. All teams are trying to play faster and speed up the offensive rhythm. Shooting ability has also become an essential skill for players."

"But there were no big fish players released in the free market this season, so when the door of the trading market opened, traditional centers such as Tyson Chandler, Nene, Marc Gasol and Andrew Jordan all became players from various teams. The object of the team's pursuit."

"So far, the league has not produced the first signing, which is slightly colder than the transaction market in previous years."

The moment the door to the trading market opened, Li Lai quickly rushed to Los Angeles with Hammond. He also had a player he wanted very much.

Hammond didn't quite understand and said: "Tyson Chandler averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block per game during the playoffs. He was also the third player on the DPOY list last season."

"It is precisely because of his contribution on the defensive end that the Mavericks will beat the Lakers and Spurs and advance to the finals through the tiebreaker."

"Tyson Chandler is also the second most capable center in the free market this year. Why don't we regard him as the primary target?"

Li Lai said: "Chandler is indeed very strong, especially on the defensive end, but his running and jumping ability is not outstanding, and his playing style is also very retro and traditional stance and pick-and-roll style of play."

"Such a center partner Chris Paul is naturally good, but the one who can really maximize Paul's passing ability must be a talented center."

"Like the old Nash and Stoudemire."

Hearing the last analogy, Hammond quickly understood Li Lai's intention, but he still didn't understand and said, "Doesn't Nene Hilario also meet this requirement?"

"Last season, Nene averaged 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block per game. Although he can't compare to Tyson Chandler in terms of the threat of guarding the basket, Nene can also be regarded as the second strongest in the free market this year in terms of offense. center."

Li Lai shook his head and said, "With Paul here, there is absolutely no need for a center player to have a strong ability to attack autonomously. He only needs to be able to receive Paul's pass and complete the finish efficiently."

"This is called eating cakes, how to eat, how to feed, and how much you can eat. This is determined by the pick-and-roll ability, roll-down timing, and physical talent."

At this time, there is no need for Hammond to mention the player Marc Gasol.

The first Grizzlies will not let people go to a large extent, the latter also has the right to match Marc Gasol, and the second Marc Gasol's supporting core and defensive core play style is completely unsuitable for the current Hornets.

"So, for us, only Andrew Jordan is the most suitable."

"However, the Clippers also have the right to match Andrew Jordan, and there is a high probability that they will not let go of this player."

Andrew Jordan started last season and averaged 7 points, 7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Although Andrew Jordan is much worse than the first three center players in terms of personal technical ability, his physical talent is obviously better.

Moreover, Andrew Jordan and Blake Griffin, the core of the Clippers' team building, have worked very well together. The Clippers' penalty zone defense where the two are located also gave other teams in the league a great deterrent last season.

So as Hammond said, there is a high probability that the Clippers will not choose to let go of Andrew Jordan, and they will also match the contract offer in the trading market.

"But our trip still makes sense."

Li Lai said seriously.

Hammond looked at Li Lai, but did not ask what the meaning of this trip was at this time.

He was guessing whether the meaning of the trip Li Lai said was still able to snatch Andrew Jordan, or something else.

Li Lai did not ask Hammond to contact Andrew Jordan's agent, but chose to visit in person. He also had something to say to Andrew Jordan.

Arriving at Andrew Jordan's home, he was playing in the swimming pool with his girlfriend Amber Alvare.

Because there are no big fish players in this year's trading market, Andrew Jordan is also happily waiting for his first big contract in his career.

"Coach Li Lai, I know you. Villanueva and Yi Jianlian, two big men who like to stretch beyond the three-point line, have brought me a lot of trouble."

"It's also because of the Bucks that even the big guys in the league have to practice three-pointers. I heard that Marc Gasol has already practiced very well, but it's hard for me."

"I can't shoot threes at all."

Seeing Li Lai's arrival, Andrew Jordan completely complained about his dissatisfaction over the past few years.

Originally, traditional centers were of great value on the court, but it was because of Li Lai in front of him that the role of center players on the court was greatly reduced.

Li Lai listened to Andrew Jordan's complaints, but also found that the other party was talking to him with a smile all the time.

Although Andrew Jordan is as fierce as a tiger on the court, and his body is extremely tall, his personality is completely inconsistent with his appearance. He is also a very good player who keeps his own way off the court.

Andrew Jordan is very concerned about his family. Just now when Hammond asked Andrew Jordan and his girlfriend what they were doing in the swimming pool, although he knew that he was being teased by Hammond, he just smiled honestly and did not forget to say something more My girlfriend is very nice.

From Li Lian's point of view, only players with this personality were able to remain calm and not yell at his wife after seeing his son with white skin.

Otherwise, even if he later learns that his son has created a medical miracle with a very small probability, it will be difficult for him to repair his relationship with his girlfriend.

Andrew Jordan is a particularly nice guy.

Li Lai went straight to the topic and said, "Little Jordan, I think you've already guessed what I'm here for."

Andrew Jordan nodded and said, "Of course, Mr. Li Lai is now the owner of the Hornets. I feel very honored that you can personally recruit me."

"But I still want to remind you that the Clippers have my matching rights, and I am more inclined to stay on this team."

really!

Although Li Lai had already guessed this point, he still didn't intend to give up.

"If the Clippers choose to match our chips, then everything we are talking about now is really meaningless, but I still want to give it a try."

"Little Jordan, I'm curious what your definition of yourself is, and what do you think about your future career?"

Andrew Jordan was taken aback, but this was the first time he met such a person who came to discuss a signing deal with him.

He also said without reservation at this time: "I was a second-round pick in 2008. In college, I was almost suppressed by star players like Kevin Love, and even completely overwhelmed."

"My skills were rough, my shots were inaccurate, and even free throws drove college coaches crazy. At that time, I thought I was going to stay away from the NBA."

"You know, the best way for someone like me from a poor background to change his destiny is to play ball."

"Fortunately, my talent is good, so many teams are willing to bet on my talent."

"Now I have secured the starting center position of the Clippers. If I can, I want to keep playing in this position. It is naturally better to get a big contract."

"Because I was only a second-round pick, I didn't make any money at all in the past three years."

This is a player who is more pragmatic than David West.

Li Lai shook his head when he heard this.

Andrew Jordan opened his eyes wide and wondered if the other party shook his head because he said something wrong.

Li Lai said: "The draft position does not determine a player's future achievements. Rough skills are indeed a problem."

"But, I can help you solve this problem."

Andrew Jordan waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Coach, you can't solve this problem. I can't learn any technical moves at all."

"My college coach tried a lot of ways and made a lot of efforts. He didn't want to watch a player with my talent fail to make it to the NBA. He even helped me practice free throws."

"But in the end, my coach vomited and said I was an elm head, and rotten wood can't be carved."

Hammond on the side couldn't help laughing.

Andrew Jordan scratched his head with a naive smile, feeling quite ashamed.

Li Lai smiled and said, "Can you catch the ball?"

Andrew Jordan said: "Of course, I can catch any ball with both hands."

Hammond nodded in agreement.

Li Lai continued: "Then can you dance?"

Andrew Jordan said: "My physical talent is here, and jumping is my housekeeping skill."

Li Lai nodded and said, "Then can you jump in the air to catch the ball and put it into the basket?"

Andrew Jordan didn't speak, his eyes widened and he understood what Li Lai meant.

Li Lai, who knew that the opponent had already understood, said directly at this time: "Little Jordan, come to the Hornets. Our team has a point guard who is very good at passing this kind of ball."

"Trust me, he can make up for all your rough technicalities."

"With the Hornets, you can fly!"

Andrew Jordan only felt that there was an extremely beautiful picture in front of him, and violent dunks were aesthetics for him.

And Li Lai is the one who drew this picture for him, and Andrew Jordan is also yearning for it at this moment.

"But the Clippers have the right to match me. I heard from my agent that the Warriors have offered me a contract for 4 years and $4300 million."

"I know that apart from Marc Gasol's maximum salary, even Nene and Tyson Chandler, who are more capable, are about the same price."

"So this price should be the limit I can get."

In Andrew Jordan's view, there is a high probability that the Clippers will match this contract, and it will be difficult for him to go to the Hornets, and that beautiful picture will soon come to nothing.

Li Lai looked at Andrew Jordan at this moment, and said with great certainty, "No!"

"I think you, like Marc Gasol, are equally worthy of a maximum salary extension!"

After hearing this, Andrew Jordan stood up excitedly and shouted, "What! Maximum salary!"

(End of this chapter)