NBA: Starting with Jokic template

Chapter 181 How about trading Westbrook? (3k)

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Fifteen minutes later.

"Give me a moment, give me a moment!"

A 5-foot-11 man rushed out of the elevator, jogging to avoid the staff in the aisle.

"Hey! Mr. Scott! Watch out! My coffee!"

A staff member narrowly avoided Brooks who was just jogging and complained to him with some dissatisfaction.

Scott Brooks was so busy on his way that he had no time to stop and apologize to him. He could only shout "I'm sorry" from a distance and then disappeared from the staff's sight.

"What's wrong with Mr. Scott today? Since winning the championship last season, I've rarely seen him so anxious."

The staff member couldn't help but mutter, and the others around him nodded.

"That's right. I really don't know what happened. Could it be that something happened to the team again?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?! You're such a crow's mouth!"

"Just a guess."

Brooks ran in a hurry. He never expected that Presti would tell him such shocking news on the phone. He immediately stopped the work in his hands and ran here from the gym like a fly, all the way to the end of the corridor in the work area before stopping.

He stopped when he saw the name of General Manager, Presti, written on the door in front of him.

Brooks was in a very bad mood at this time.

Just now he was watching the players training, but he never expected that Presti would call him to talk about such a thing.

"Please come in."

Brooks clenched his fists and walked into Presti's office in great anger.

What caught my eye was a huge office and Presti, who was sitting in front of a three-meter-long desk with his hands on the table and his chin supported.

Because the sun was shining from behind him, Presti's face was in shadow, and Brooks couldn't see his expression at the moment.

"Why! Manager Presti!"

As soon as he entered the door, Brooks couldn't control his emotions and questioned Presti angrily.

"Hey, relax, man."

Presti looked calm and pointed to the door behind Brooks.

"Do you want all the staff on the team to hear what we say?"

Brooks turned around and found that the door was still wide open, so he quickly closed it.

If this kind of thing were to be heard by someone with ulterior motives and leaked out, it would be a disaster.

It is still the playoff stage. Once Presti's ideas are reported by the media, it will definitely make the team panic and they may fail.

After closing the door, Brooks walked quickly to the desk and slapped it hard.
"Presti, tell me why you want to trade Westbrook! Give me a suitable reason, otherwise this matter will not end so well."

Looking at his confident expression, Brooks couldn't control his anger.

"Don't be so angry, Brooks, I must have my reasons, sit down first."

Presti spoke slowly, pointing to the seat opposite him.

It was the one that Lin Chuan had just sat on.

Brooks stared at him angrily, and after a moment, he slowly sat down in his seat under Presti's gaze, but his eyes were still fixed on Presti.

He didn't understand what this man was thinking.

In the team, apart from Durant and Lin Chuan, the most recognized by fans is the guard Russell Westbrook who joined the team in 08.

Since being selected by the team, he has been playing diligently.

In his four-year rookie contract, he was selected to the All-NBA Team twice, and even gave up the Rose Clause for the sake of team space and signed a smaller contract instead.

Presti actually told himself that he wanted to trade such a player during the offseason.

Brooks simply couldn't understand what this guy was thinking!
"What, Presti, are you addicted to trading your team's star guard?"

Presti smiled and said,

"Just listen to me first, Scott, you're in too much of a hurry."

"I proposed to trade Westbrook not because I am a person who takes advantage of others' misfortunes, nor because I am worried that he will become unworthy after this injury, but for the long-term consideration of the team."

"Long-term consideration?"

Brooks was so angry that he laughed.

"The long-term consideration is to trade away the soul of the team, the core star?"

"it's not true."

Presti said slowly,
"Brooks, what do you think of these three All-Stars on the team?"

"Opinion? Of course they are all very good players, otherwise how could we win 74 games this season?"

Brooks was suddenly confused. Facing Presti's question, he gave his answer without much thought.

"No, no, no." Presti shook his head.

"You misunderstood, Brooks, or should I ask it another way? How compatible do you think these three players are?"

Is it compatible?

When asked this question, Brooks immediately fell into thought.

After a moment, he gave his answer.

"Durant is the most versatile player. No matter what the lineup is or what kind of players he is paired with, he is very adaptable. Whether it is with Lin Chuan or Westbrook, he can play well."

"Lin Chuan is relatively good. Although he is very good with the ball in his hands, even without the ball, his terrifying shooting threat will make opponents uncomfortable. He is not afraid of double-teaming and can adapt to many players."

"The last Westbrook, his three-point threat is average, but he can attack the basket very well. He is very powerful with the ball in his hands, and without the ball..."

At this point, Brooks was stunned.

In this way, Westbrook is indeed the player who is least compatible with the other two stars in the team.

Moreover, due to his playing style, he has to hold the ball a lot, otherwise he is not a very threatening player on the court.

The reason why he has been able to coexist with Lin Chuan before is because of his speed and explosiveness, which allow him to launch fast breaks. In positional warfare, there are two offensive kaleidoscopes, Lin Chuan and Durant, on the court, who can cover up his shortcomings very well.

If Presti were to follow his suggestion, trading Westbrook for a player who is relatively good with and without the ball would free up the other two.

Looking at the stunned Brooks, Presti knew that he understood his thoughts and smiled as if everything was under control.

"But wouldn't that be too cold-blooded..."

Brooks hesitated for a moment, but still spoke his mind.

"In the past few years, Westbrook has contributed so much to the team. Even though Lin Chuan has played from obscurity to now having a bigger role than him, he only expressed his dissatisfaction once and quickly accepted his position. Isn't it too cruel for us to trade him again now?"

"Cruel? Mr. Scott Brooks, is this your first time working in the NBA?"

Hearing Brooks say this, Presti couldn't help but feel a little angry.
"NBA is a business league. It is normal for players to come and go. As management, we cannot be soft-hearted. It is our job to keep the team competitive. It is better to think clearly early than to struggle later and fail to trade!"

“Is meritorious basketball more important than building a dynasty?”

Faced with Presti's questioning, Brooks remained silent.

"Besides, can't you see that it's impossible for a player like Lin Chuan to stay under someone else for long?"

Brooks was a little shocked when he heard Presti's sudden loud shout.

"I understand, but what do you mean by that?"

"Do you really think he is a player who doesn't care about his own honor at all? Can't you see that he is the most popular player on the market now? As long as we can't keep him, the remaining 29 teams in the league will try their best to please him and chase him. If we can't promise him more money and status, why should he stay here and stay in the Thunder to build a dynasty?"

"He is Chinese, but also a bit Oklahoman, so he doesn't have any hometown complex!"

"The reason why we want to trade Westbrook is to give Lin Chuan more ball rights, so that he can have a chance to compete for the MVP next season!"

Presti continued to attack Brook like a machine gun.

Brooks fell silent after hearing this.

He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to sober himself up and accept this reality.

Trade Westbrook...

It sounds too cruel.

But if they lost Lin Chuan, that would be what they could not accept the most.

Lin Chuan used one season to prove himself to be a completely epoch-making player.

And he is only in his early 20s.

While having unlimited potential, its combat capability has also reached the top of the league.

The team can lose everyone, even Durant, but they cannot lose Lin Chuan, a player who has no substitute.

Looking at Brooks who was lost in thought, Presti was not in a hurry at all and waited slowly for him to digest the information.

Three minutes later, Brooks finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Is this the only way we can keep Lin Chuan?"

Presti lit up a cigarette and took a puff. In the smoke, he shook his head and said,
"That's not necessarily the case. We don't have a complete way to keep him. For a player of this level, we can only do everything we can to keep him."

"Ugh."

Brooks sighed deeply.

"Anyway, I don't have the slightest say in team trades. In the end, it's still up to you to decide. But thank you for discussing it with me in advance. It's all up to you. I have no opinion."

Brooks got up and left.

He just felt deeply helpless.

He had no way to deal with Harden's trade, and he had no choice when the team chose to trade Westbrook during the offseason. He could only choose to accept the team's decision.

Looking at Brooks leaving, Presti also sighed.

He doesn't really want to trade Westbrook, but after weighing the pros and cons, Lin Chuan is the more important option.

(End of this chapter)