NBA: James wants to team up with me

Chapter 193: Targeting the Wolf King, shocking the alliance with a huge deal!

The draft situation after Durant is actually not that important. After all, it includes Al Horford, the third overall pick, Mike Conley, the fourth overall pick, Jeff Green, etc. The players are all just average players. Horford may be slightly better, but he is only a player who can contribute 18+8 at his peak, and his level can only be regarded as the entry-level All-Star level.

It is worth mentioning that the Milwaukee Bucks, who received the seventh pick, chose the Chinese player UAE, just like in the original historical process.

I have to admire that the agent of the United Arab Emirates is really good. A series of operations including the well-known chair trial method actually frightened the league's scouts. They really thought that the United Arab Emirates would be like Yao and Wang. Chong became the third Asian player to make a name for himself in the NBA.

One thing to say, the level of the Arab League is definitely good. Even in the NBA, he is strong enough to be a rotation player. He can stably contribute about 10+7 per game without any problems.

Regardless of just rotating players, if you look at the entire league, there are less than 200 players with stable playing time.

The main shortcoming of UAE is that the starting point is too high. The original sixth pick in the first round is now the seventh pick. The team that selected him hopes that he can become an all-star insider like Dayao.

In addition, Ah Lian has a relatively introverted personality, is not good at communication, and has poor confrontation ability. These are all reasons that restrict his development in the NBA.

But in fact, even so, as long as the Arab League is willing, he can still play in the NBA, and there are teams willing to provide him with a contract.

The main reason why Arab League returned to the CBA was that he did not want to waste his peak period on the bench in the NBA.

Unlike the fussy Lakers, the Celtics are willing to really dismantle half the team for Garnett. They want to send away five players including potential center Al Jefferson, plus two A first-round pick, a 7-for-1 trade for Garnett.

Garnett showed no politeness at all and stated his intentions straight to the point.

To put it simply, I would rather have a chicken head than a phoenix tail.

Being able to count Sessions is also an unexpected surprise.

As for James, Wade, Anthony and other outstanding players in the 03 class, they basically reached an early contract extension agreement with the team last year. Unsurprisingly, the new contracts are all maximum salaries. The starting salary for the 07-08 season is 1304 million. Dollar.

Thinking of this, McHale could only sigh helplessly, picked up the phone and dialed the number of the Bulls general manager.

The free market in 07 was definitely a big event. The contracts of the 03 rookies all expired. However, because the rookie players are restricted free agents, unless there is an irreconcilable conflict with their home team, most of them will choose Renew contract with parent team.

The offer was quite generous and made McHale very excited.

So Wang Chong took decisive action and signed Sessions.

While Wang Chong officially renewed his contract with the Bulls, the Bulls also completed a contract extension with point guard Chauncey Billups for a five-year, $5 million fee. Billups' contract starting salary next season will be $6000 million.

This wasn't over yet. Then the Bulls used their bottom second-round pick to select a point guard, Ramon Sessions.

Although Tyson Chandler performed well this season and was elected as the best defensive player DPOY, he is essentially just a blue-collar player without any offensive ability.

Since the news that the team will trade Garnett away from the team has spread, many teams have made offers to the Timberwolves, but most of them are not within the scope of Garnett's consideration. Even if the Timberwolves are interested in certain teams' bargaining chips, they are still interested. We cannot forcefully trade away our top stars regardless of the circumstances.

He had never thought about joining the Bulls before. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in the Bulls, but he didn't expect that the Bulls, who made it to the finals last season, would be willing to pay several of their main players for him.

Before calling McHale, Garnett had already spoken to Wang Chong on the phone.

As a former Celtics star, Kevin McHale certainly wants to help the Celtics get the league's top star, but Garnett's personal wishes are more important. With a star of this caliber, the team It is impossible to forcibly trade the other party without considering the star's thoughts. Once such a thing is done, which star will be willing to play in the Timberwolves in the future?

As a result, the Bulls have retained all of their main lineup for this season's finals.

To be fair, when a reporter learned about the Bulls' draft contest actions, they didn't even have the desire to report on it.

Originally, Wang Chong had no intention of selecting Sessions because the Bulls had the best regular season record and were the last to be selected among the thirty teams, whether it was a first-round pick or a second-round pick.

Of course, at this time, UAE, who was debuting on the NBA stage for the first time, was still high-spirited and looked forward to flexing his muscles in the league.

-

Just like last season, the Bulls stood still during the first round of the draft and made no moves. As the draft entered the second round, the Bulls began to take action.

It's the rest of the second round again. Why do the Bulls like to pick and choose so much?

Since Wang Chong joined the Bulls, apart from the big deal of trading Billups, the Bulls have been like an old mother who is unwilling to do anything every year, just hoping to pick up a second-round pick.

However, the bargaining chip provided by the Lakers really dissatisfied McHale.

What they want to send away is Garnett. If they want to get such an MVP-level player, how can they do it without giving up some blood?

The offer made by the Timberwolves is Bynum, Odom, and Ben Gordon from the Lakers, plus a first-round pick and bench role players to match Garnett's 2000 million annual salary.

Wang Chong is the only exception. He did not renew his contract with the Bulls in advance. Instead, he waited until the contract officially expired in early July before negotiating a contract extension with the team.

The Timberwolves management also tried to make efforts to retain the league's top superstar, but Garnett's attitude was resolute and they had no choice but to accept offers from other teams in the league.

"Kevin, I want to join the Bulls!"

It's just that this lineup can only be maintained for the next season, because Luol Deng's rookie contract only has one year left next year.

Sessions was selected fifth from the bottom in the second round. In theory, the Bulls had no chance of selecting Sessions.

The two contract extensions made Chicago fans relieved and very satisfied.

The Bulls management contacted him and expressed their willingness to send Tyson Chandler, Luol Deng, backup point guard Chris Duhon, a future first-round pick of the Bulls and part of the cash compensation to cover the salary difference. Garnett.

The Bulls are currently the strongest team in the Eastern Conference, and Wang Chong is a top scorer with even better scoring ability than Kobe. Partnering with Wang Chong, the two of them attack and defend, and there is a high probability that they will face the Spurs in the finals. Win!

Thinking of this, how could Garnett still think about joining the Lakers? Moreover, he called Kobe a few days ago and the other party didn't answer. His attitude was ambiguous and he didn't know what the other party was thinking.

"If you want to get Kevin (Garnett), you have to add another player to your bargaining chip..."

-

On July 2007, 7, the NBA free market opened, followed by a series of news about player contract renewals.

Even with the young and promising Luol Deng, it's still a little lower than the Celtics' offer.

After the regular season ended, Garnett submitted a trade request, hoping to join a strong team that could win the championship.

But perhaps because this draft has been completely disrupted by the butterfly effect brought about by Wang Chong's time travel, Sessions was not selected until the 30th pick in the second round.

The Bulls' two-pronged approach left McHale very confused.

If all this time is spent competing in the NBA, the UAE will only have a few more seasons of average data per game as a role player. They are ordinary and mediocre role players in the league and will not bring any memories and memories to the NBA. impression.

Signing Sessions can slightly strengthen the firepower of the Bulls' bench. Even if Sessions fails to perform, a pick at the bottom of the second round will not be considered a disadvantage.

This is the first tens of millions of annual salary contract signed by Billups in his career. Although the amount of the contract is not particularly large and not as good as Wang Chong who has only been in the league for 4 years, given Billups’ age and current situation, With his performance on the field, this five-year long-term contract is enough to satisfy him.

I thought that this year the team would reach the finals, and in order to show off its ambitions in the future, it would definitely have to operate well. Unexpectedly, it would select two second-round picks. After selecting rookies every year and cultivating them every year, when will it be the end?

They didn't know that Wang Chong was mentally prepared to drop a bombshell on the league this summer.

-

Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In the Timberwolves general manager's office, team general manager Kevin McHale rubbed his swollen temples, looking at the offers offered to him by each team, and fell into a continuous tangle.

To be honest, compared with the Celtics' 7-for-1 offer, this offer is actually not very competitive.

This lion's opening almost scared the Lakers to death. It was equivalent to dismantling half of the Lakers team at once. Even if Garnett was exchanged, the Lakers would face a situation where no one was available.

But the Lakers are also extremely interested in Garnett, so they have been bargaining with the Timberwolves, trying to keep Bynum, a high-quality center that the team wants to cultivate into the second Shark in the future.

<divclass="contentadv">During this period, the Lakers' mortal enemy, the Boston Celtics, another powerful team in the league, also approached.

At the end of the regular season, the Timberwolves ranked third from last in the Western Conference with a record of 30 wins and 51 losses. After the 06-07 season ended, the team's biggest star, Kevin Garnett, had completely lost confidence in the team.

Four years and $4 million, with a fourth-year player option, the contract content is almost exactly the same as that of James, Wade, Anthony and others.

Why does Garnett want to leave the Timberwolves? It is for the championship, but the reason why he is so eager for the championship is his desire for victory. On the other hand, his competition with Duncan, his competitor at the same position, has been completely eliminated after Duncan won the fourth championship in his career. Shake off.

The final achievements of the Arab League in the CBA are four regular season MVPs, seven CBA championships, and the CBA's historical scoring leader and historical rebounding leader. His achievements and status are comparable to Jordan in the NBA.

Quietly, the Bulls used fringe players on the team's bench, plus some cash compensation, to trade for a high-ranking second-round pick, and used the second-round pick to select center Marc Gasol.

As a result, the Bulls gained two players in the draft, Marc Gasol, who serves as center, and Ramon Sessions, who serves as point guard.

Chicago Bulls.

When Wang Chong took the initiative to call him to recruit and said, "We can win at least three championships together." Garnett was moved.

Ramon Sessions is 1 meters tall and serves as a point guard. His career averages are 91 points and 10 rebounds per game. He is just a very ordinary role player, but if he is a second-round pick, he can get a player of this level. It's very good. Not every top superstar in history like Jokic is picked up in the second round.

In fact, there is nothing to talk about. With his performance in the past four years, even if he signs the contract with his eyes closed, Wang Chong can only sign a maximum-salary contract. This is also true.

For Garnett, who will be 31 years old next season, the peak period of his competitive career is almost over. Before that, he wants to win a championship.

But just when he was about to make a decision, another Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared halfway.

Monta Ellis, who was passed over in the 05 draft, was pretty good, but Paul Millsap, who was passed over in the 06 draft, was average. As a substitute for the team last season, he averaged about 8 points and 5 rebounds per game. He looks like a role player who has been a backup for thousands of years.

Garnett is already 30, and there is not much time left for him. He must seize the last moment of his peak period to compete for the championship.

Garnett himself is more interested in the Los Angeles Lakers. He feels that Los Angeles' big market and partnering with Kobe will definitely achieve something.

Garnett doesn't want to admit that he is weaker than Duncan, but the fact is this now. Duncan has 4 championships, 2 MVPs and 3 FMVPs, while Garnett only has one regular season MVP so far. Just looking at honors, the two are not at the same level.

But the problem is that McHale has just received the Bulls' offer, and Garnett's call came right after.

When the 07-08 season ends, Luol Deng's contract expires. Based on his current data and performance on the field, it is conservatively estimated that he will have to start with an annual salary of at least tens of millions.

At that time, the Bulls will have 1400 million Wang Chong, 1100 million Billups, 1100 million Tyson Chandler, and 500 million Bell. If Luol Deng is added to the 1000 million, the Bulls will not only have to pay a high amount of luxury goods. Taxes and salary space will also be completely locked, making it difficult to introduce high-quality players.

Although this lineup allowed the Bulls to win 69 games in the regular season this season and reach the Finals, does it really have a chance to win the NBA championship? No one knows, at least the Bulls will still be at a disadvantage when they meet the Spurs next season.

However, at this time, on July 7, the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves made announcements almost simultaneously. The entire league was shocked. A big earthquake was coming!