When pride still matters

Chapter 559 The End of a Period of Time
The teams that have lottery picks this year are the Cavaliers, Wizards, 76ers, Bucks, Bobcats, Raptors, Nets, Grizzlies, Pistons, Kings, Warriors, Clippers and Trail Blazers.

You retracted a message

2024/8/4 17:24:50
The news that Kevin Durant requested a trade spread like a super virus.

The world cannot remain calm.

This will be a heartbreaking moment for Sonics fans.

They just won four straight titles and are looking forward to their fifth, and if Durant requests a trade, it would be almost impossible for them to get an equivalent return.

Because this involves another question, how much is Durant worth?
It's like assuming a trade for Yu Fei, how many teams can come up with chips.

Even if such chips exist, the teams that can offer them are unlikely to make such a choice.

Although Durant has not reached Yu Fei's level, after the test of this year's playoffs, he has been recognized as one of the top five in the league.

Some even think he is in the top three in the league, second only to Yu Fei and James.

What's more, he is not even 24 years old yet and still has a lot of room for improvement. Letting such a person stay with Yu Fei is undoubtedly a nightmare for the entire league.

So, when the "Trumpet Incident" happened, everyone who was unhappy with the Supersonics was cheering: Brutus finally backstabbed Caesar!
The only empire will collapse, and the legendary chapter of GOAT will be tarnished. He was betrayed by his greatest helper.

And then... there was no more.

After Yu Fei's comeback, he stopped the Sonics' decline, and they began to rise steadily in the playoffs, sweeping the competition and eventually winning four consecutive championships.

Durant's "trumpet incident" was forgotten silently.

Until now, when Durant requested a trade, people brought up the old matter again, and experts believed that this was the repercussions of the "trumpet incident."

Durant was not forgiven, but just reached a tacit understanding with the GOAT.

So, as soon as the season ended and the championship celebration had not yet begun, this prodigy who was once the Seattle people's hope for the future was eager to break all the beautiful fantasies and bring the world into reality.

Media with different positions will have different attitudes towards this matter.

The media in the Seattle area naturally tried to say good things.

The Seattle Times believes that Durant showed a strong desire to win during the playoffs, which shows that he is not determined to leave and the two sides can still have a good talk.

However, media outside of Seattle have begun analyzing which team is likely to get Durant.

Nike may be the biggest beneficiary of this turmoil.

Their best young player at the moment, and the most outstanding rising star in the NBA after James, is finally leaving Seattle to make a name for himself.

Over the past five years, Reebok's achievements have made Nike gnashed its teeth.

They firmly believe that without Durant's help, Yu Fei would not have been able to win four consecutive championships.

If we ignore the lockout, Yu Fei has actually achieved six consecutive championships.

If we go back further in time, this was a nine-year, eight-championship streak, comparable to Bill Russell's Celtics.

However, with such a great achievement, how much fame and fortune did Durant gain from the glory?
The answer is very few.

Not only did Nike's base not expand, it was also eroded by Reebok, and Durant's influence did not increase much.

The so-called "only empire" concept put forward by Reebok back then successfully brought all the glory to Yu Fei.

This is something Nike can no longer tolerate, and now, they have succeeded.

Durant firmly requested a trade, leaving no room for negotiation.

Sonics general manager Sam Presti has repeatedly tried to talk to Durant but was rebuffed, and Durant has cut ties with the team's front office.

Durant's agent, Rich Kleiman, made it clear: "Move forward the deal as quickly as possible."

At this point, Presti can only leave the task of contacting Durant to those players who can still contact him, and then seriously promote the transaction himself.

Durant's good friend DeAndre Jordan said: "Maybe there is only one person who can change KD's mind." Although he did not explicitly say the sacred name, anyone with a keen eye can guess it.

Bill Simmons, a famous ESPN media person, pointed out the crux of the problem directly: "No matter how many mistakes KD has made, his performance in the playoffs can make up for it. This is why I don't agree with this deal. Because this is the greatest team our generation has ever seen. Frye, KD, Brandon Roy, Chris Bosh, can we see such a team in the next hundred years? They easily completed four consecutive championships. As long as they keep this team, they can easily complete five consecutive championships. We will see the greatest team in sports! But in the end, to reverse this deal, we need one person's attitude. Frye, don't follow the old path of Michael Jordan. Today's KD is like you in 2002."

Simmons sharply linked Durant's trade request to Yu Fei. He believed that this was Yu Fei's intention.

Helping himself win four consecutive championships is not enough for Durant to atone for his sins. Durant's competitiveness in the playoffs has begun to catch up with the GOAT. For the GOAT, stabilizing his position is more important than anything else, so Durant must leave.

Simmons pointed the finger at Yu Fei, which attracted the most untouchable fan group on the Internet. Tens of thousands of Yu Fei fans flocked to the tweet.

Yu Fei received the news of Durant's trade request while on vacation in Los Angeles. If Durant had not requested the trade, he would have planned to spend a month like this and then resume some activities. But the most important thing this summer is that he and Elizabeth Olsen are about to give birth to their child. His main focus is on this.

Durant's decision brought basketball back into his life. Yu Fei was not surprised by Durant's decision. From the moment he decided not to apologize for the trumpet incident, this outcome was doomed. Not apologizing means he does not want to ease the relationship. Despite this, he still gave his all in the game. Isn't this another form of redemption?

Most importantly, a player like Durant cannot be inferior to others in the best period of his career, and Nike cannot tolerate this situation. Therefore, this is the result of the joint decision of multiple parties. Durant is just following the wishes of himself and the outside world.

Yu Fei reviewed the five years he and Durant had worked together since 2007. He was very strict with Durant, even harsh to some extent, but this kind of spurring was not selfish. If there was any selfishness, it was to make Durant better.

The older he gets, the more Yu Fei cares about what his teammates think, because he doesn't want something like Scottie Pippen writing an autobiography to discredit Jordan to happen to him.

Looking back, Yu Fei believes that he was somewhat responsible for not caring enough about the trades of Ray Allen and Michael Reed in the early days of the Bucks. He was too young at the time and did not think from other people's perspectives. He only cared about what he cared about, and Ray Allen and Reed's emotions and thoughts were not within his scope of attention.

As a result, Reed requested a trade because he could not get promoted, and eventually became a stranger to him. Ray Allen also watched from the sidelines during the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and was isolated by the entire team afterwards and had to request a trade.

This is why Yu Fei chose to help Durant after the trumpet incident broke out. He didn't know where the season would go if he hadn't done so, but it would definitely not be the current result. Only by doing that can he say that he has a clear conscience.

Durant worked so hard in the playoffs. He must have regretted and felt guilty for what he had done, but many things cannot be reversed. People cannot transcend the power of time. Mistakes can only be slowly diluted by time. Durant only realized the tragedy in the moment of awakening that the source of the tragedy was that he was always jealous and angry but could never get it. Therefore, leaving was his choice.

One day after Durant requested a trade, Roy called Yu Fei and asked him if he had contacted Durant.

"I don't plan to do that," Yu Fei said. "I respect his choice."

"He apologized to me," Roy said. "Just last night, he apologized for everything."

Yu Fei was stunned for a moment, "Really? It's good."

"So, you really don't want to keep him?"

"That's not the case, Brandon." Yu Fei said, "He won't change his mind. All we can do is wish him the best."

Because, if it were Yu Fei, he would do the same. Jealous of others' talents, envious of others' limelight, and eager to be someone, they are the same kind of people.

Yu Fei did not make any statement in the end.

Silence is often an attitude.

The Sonics knew what to do.

Presti is destined to be the most miserable person this summer. The empire he built with his own hands may come to an end because of Durant's departure.

At the same time, the pressure from his boss also made him feel suffocated.

Clay Bennett's attitude is to refuse the fourth maximum salary, so Bosh, who is willing to stay and compete for the fifth consecutive championship, is destined to be let down.

In fact, Bosh has expressed his stance for so many days, but the Supersonics have no response, which has broken Bosh's heart.

And now, the Supersonics have no time to consider Bosh's contract renewal.

They are going to move forward with the Durant trade at full speed.

Now, Durant is the most valuable commodity in the league.

At only 23 years old, he has the potential to be among the top five players in the league, and his contract will not expire until the summer of 2016.

Presti came up with a trade strategy that would have the best of both worlds.

He contacted New Orleans, hoping to trade Durant for the Hornets' No. 1 pick. Since the Hornets have enough salary space, they can take Durant's big contract.

Once the deal is completed, the Supersonics will not only get Anthony Davis, a once-in-a-decade genius, but will also be able to get rid of a maximum salary, which will give them enough space to sign Bosh.

This kills two birds with one stone, which is great to think about.

But the Hornets' thinking is: Why should I cooperate?

Durant's value is similar to this year's No. 1 pick, but the Hornets are a rebuilding team and cannot provide the competitiveness that Durant needs. Moreover, the market in New Orleans is small. Before Paul was selected by the Hornets, the team owner wanted to relocate the team because of the lack of local support for the team. Later, Paul renewed the team's life, but now Paul has also run away and the team ownership has changed. A small-market team starting from scratch cannot afford to serve a big Buddha like Durant.

Durant is great, but the Hornets would rather bet that Anthony Davis will become a greater player than the former after entering the NBA.

Presti's plan fell through.

He had no time to feel disappointed over the failure of Plan A, as enthusiastic New Yorkers opened up Plan B for them.

The Knicks hold the second pick in the 2012 draft.

The 2012 draft is considered to be a great year comparable to the 2003, 1996 and 1984 drafts.

Moreover, in terms of depth, it can perhaps be compared to the 1985 draft (9 All-Stars).

In addition to the No. 1 pick being able to select a historical talent like Anthony Davis, the No. 2 pick can also select a potential All-Star with superstar potential.

Duke's Kyrie Irving, Florida's Bradley Beal, Davis' teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist from Kentucky (1) and Weber State's Damian Lillard.

The Knicks wanted Durant badly.

The failure in the bidding war for Anthony resulted in the failure to build a competitive team when Stoudemire was healthy.

Now the Supersonics want to trade Durant. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they have enough chips in their hands.

Although this year's second pick is basically equal to the trading value of an All-Star player, when it comes to the draft, whether you can select an All-Star depends on luck.

Therefore, it is natural for Presti to make a counteroffer to New York.

With Plan A with the Hornets failing, the arrival in New York gave rise to Presti's Plan B.

In his position, he cannot go against the boss's will, but what can the team do to reasonably reject Bosh, who is eager to stay and pursue a fifth consecutive championship?
The arrival in New York gave Presti the answer.

In the second negotiation, Presti asked New York to include Amar'e Stoudemire and future draft picks in the deal.

A second pick with All-Star value, an All-Star center whose recovery status is unknown after a serious injury, and an extra draft pick. Is it worth paying so much just for Durant?

For New York, it's certainly worth it.

No matter how promising a draft class is, the draft always has a strong lottery attribute.

The Trail Blazers would select Sam Bowie in 1984, and the Pistons would select Darko Milicic in 2003. No matter how good a draft pick is, it ultimately serves the team's competitiveness.

The Knicks didn't think they had a chance to get a player like Durant in the draft.

However, when the Supersonics proposed to add Stoudemire, the Knicks management did feel the pain.

Although Stoudemire just suffered a serious injury, he has recovered now. This is a man who fully recovered from minimally invasive knee surgery at the beginning of the century. We can fully look forward to his return from injury.

But compared to the vision of getting Durant, the Knicks can give up anything.

After two days of intensive negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement on the draft day.

Afterwards, WOJ released this trade bombshell: "Supersonics send Kevin Durant to New York Knicks!"

Soon, the content of the transaction was exposed.

The Sonics traded Durant for this year's No. 2014 pick, Amar'e Stoudemire and first-round picks in 2016 and .

When the trade happened, many Sonics fans couldn't believe it was real.

Everything happened so fast!

Less than a week after Durant requested a trade, the team completed the follow-up steps.

They didn't even try to convince Durant to stay!
However, Presti exchanged Durant for enough chips, not only this year's No. 2 pick, but also Stoudemire and future draft picks.

Moreover, the best thing about this deal is that it brings back Stoudemire, so the Sonics no longer have the problem of renewing Bosh's contract.

Because Stoudemire is Bosh's replacement.

From a team-building perspective, they have no reason to keep Bosh.

This certainly made Clay Bennett happy, but Durant's departure has shown that the competitiveness of the Supersonics will inevitably decline, and can Stoudemire really be as good as Bosh after his serious injury?
After learning about the trade, Bosh was furious.

He knew very well what Stoudemire's arrival meant.

As a result, he announced that he would focus on free agency and would miss the championship celebrations on June 6.

Moreover, he also spoke to Stoudemire from a distance.

"The most important thing about playing here is to know how to sacrifice," Bosh said sarcastically. "The most important thing is that you don't know if your sacrifice is worth it."

Before the transaction took place, Presti called Yu Fei to ask for his opinion.

But Yu Fei had an indifferent attitude towards the transaction itself.

However, he also knew that acquiring Stoudemire would give the Sonics a reason not to renew Bosh's contract.

Therefore, Yu Fei said on the phone: "Sam, if I had an employee like you, I would definitely let you work in my company until retirement."

"Don't you have any different opinions?" Presti originally thought that Yu Fei would strongly object because Yu Fei undoubtedly wanted Bosh to stay.

It is certain that Stoudemire will not be as suitable for the Sonics as Bosh, nor will he have the same team value as Bosh. This is related to the competitiveness of the team and should be the most important thing for the GOAT.

"I don't care anymore." Yu Fei said in a tone that made Presti feel cold even through the phone, "Clay Bennett is not worth it."

After a while, Presti hung up the phone. He was glad that Yu Fei did not become an obstacle to the transaction. But what did Yu Fei's negative view of Bennett mean?

Presti's eyes fell on the table on the office desk, which was about the salary and contract years of the players in the team. The most eye-catching first row read: Fry Yu, annual salary of $1900 million, will expire in the summer of 2013.

※※※

Yu Fei increasingly hated things that were out of his control. Too many uncontrollable things had happened this year, and the most important ones were all related to Clay Bennett.

Yu Fei's disgust for him could not be described in words. Since the team moved to Seattle, in order to keep the SuperSonics, he simply regarded the interests of the investors as his own interests and actively attended every activity of the team. Through his efforts, the SuperSonics gained a hot market second only to the Knicks.

What was the result? How did Bennett repay him?

There is only one way to gain complete control of the team.

After a while, Yu Fei received a text message.

It was a farewell message, but it looked like it was not just a farewell to a relationship, but to one of the greatest periods of the modern NBA.

"I will always be grateful for everything you have taught me over the past five years, and it will be the most important thing in my life. I wish you and Seattle all the best in the future."

—Kevin Durant
The GOAT finally smiled.

His fiancée asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing, I just find it amazing." Yu Fei laughed, "Why is that country bumpkin even less grateful than Kevin Durant?"

⑴ Although MC Gilgeous is one of Boss Joe's famous "selection without looking at the ball", this is an afterthought. In 2012, MC Gilgeous was the consensus No. pick in the draft. In the eyes of scouts, "except for the need to drastically improve his shooting posture, he is almost impeccable" and is called a combination of Gerald Wallace and Pierce. The former is the first generation of Elvis, and the latter is the man behind the GOAT, so there was nothing wrong with selecting him at the time. This is just like the Warriors' selection of Connoisseur was also the popular choice, but now no one recognizes it.

(End of this chapter)