Chapter 349 A Flood of Contenders (4)
As soon as the league staffer received the draft card submitted by the Hawks, he looked as if he had been granted a pardon. Clutching it tightly, he rushed toward Adam Silver’s lounge at a near run.
“Why did it take so long?”
Adam Silver, who had been waiting at the door, took the card with clear dissatisfaction.
“They kept hesitating and couldn’t settle on a choice,”
the staffer said softly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Mike Budenholzer has been in this league for years—how can he still make a mistake like this?”
Silver muttered under his breath before taking the card and heading back to the stage.
After calming himself, Silver opened the Hawks’ card and froze for a brief moment.
But he quickly adjusted, put on a smile, and announced:
“The Atlanta Hawks select, with the second overall pick in the first round, Luka Dončić from Slovenia!”
The instant Silver finished speaking, the entire arena erupted into noise. Hawks fans in attendance burst into loud boos, venting their dissatisfaction.
Sitting in the green room, Dončić stood up awkwardly, hugged his family, then walked onto the stage to shake hands with Adam Silver.
“Atlanta picked Dončić? What kind of move is that?”
Peja said in surprise. “What is Mike Budenholzer doing?”
Mid-sentence, Peja suddenly seemed to realize something. He looked over at Chen Yilun, who was casually playing with his phone, confusion written all over his face.
Atlanta was a major cultural hub on the East Coast, with a long-established fan base and market identity. Using the second overall pick on Dončić made the decision hard for many people to understand.
Yet this kind of move felt uncannily like something Chen Yilun would do.
Factoring in Chen Yilun’s relationship with Mike Budenholzer, the likelihood rose sharply.
Amid a chorus of boos, Dončić left the stage looking rather dejected.
...
A few minutes later, Adam Silver stepped onto the stage again.
“The Memphis Grizzlies select, with the third overall pick in the first round, Marvin Bagley from Duke University!”
Fans from Memphis immediately erupted into cheers, welcoming the prized protégé of Coach K.
“The New York Knicks select, with the fourth overall pick in the first round, Jaren Jackson Jr. from Michigan State University!”
With the top four picks announced, the three most sought-after domestic big men in this draft class were all off the board.
Holding the fifth pick, the Orlando Magic hesitated briefly before selecting Trae Young from the University of Oklahoma.
“What are these two teams even thinking?”
Chen Yilun frowned as he listened to the names roll off Adam Silver’s tongue.
The Knicks hadn’t changed much. Josh Jackson, their pick from last year, had already started wasting his talent.
Poor scoring efficiency and a string of off-court controversies were giving New York constant headaches. Now they’d added Jaren Jackson Jr., another prospect who needed long-term development. The team was clearly headed for continued struggles.
As for the Magic, after drafting Lauri Markkanen last year, they had built an interior twin-core around Markkanen and Aaron Gordon. Adding Trae Young into the mix made it hard to say whether Orlando could produce any real results next season.
And the Suns?
If Chen Yilun remembered correctly, the Suns had drafted defensive anchor Jonathan Isaac last year.
And you know what?
It really worked out.
As long as Isaac stayed healthy, he could fully make up for their beloved Don’s weaknesses on the defensive end inside!
While Chen Yilun was thinking, Adam Silver returned to the podium once more.
“The Dallas Mavericks select, with the sixth overall pick in the first round, Collin Sexton from the University of Alabama!”
“Sexton?”
Grunfeld frowned.
“How did he shoot up that high?”
But he quickly figured it out.
This year, the Mavericks were targeting guards, and the two best ones—Dončić and Trae Young—were already gone.
Most likely, Dallas couldn’t find a suitable trade partner to move down, so they simply reached for Sexton at sixth.
After that, with the seventh pick, the Chicago Bulls selected Mohamed Bamba from the University of Texas.
...
“Now we will announce a trade.”
Adam Silver returned to the stage, his tone calm.
“The Sacramento Kings have traded the eighth overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the eleventh pick in this year’s draft and a protected future first-round pick.”
The announcement didn’t draw much reaction from the crowd.
After all, Chen Yilun trading down was practically tradition.
“With the eighth overall pick in the first round, the Charlotte Hornets select Wendell Carter Jr. from Duke University!”
“Here we go again.”
In the Spurs’ war room, Buford laughed as he watched the screen. “Another one of Yilun’s specialty moves—turning one pick into many.”
“Not bad, not bad!”
Popovich nodded repeatedly, unable to hide his smile. “He really learned well from us.”
“I’d say so.”
Buford leaned back in his chair. “Young Yilun’s version of breaking up assets is even more ruthless than ours back then. If it were me, holding the eighth pick, I’d never be willing to sell it.”
He muttered to himself,
“That kid has never had much regard for draft position. He’d love nothing more than to split one pick into three.”
“Honestly, just look at how many picks he’s stockpiled. Even if the Kings disbanded on the spot, I feel like he could rebuild a fairly competitive team within two years.”
As the two chatted, Adam Silver’s shiny bald head appeared on the screen once again.
“The Los Angeles Clippers select, with the ninth overall pick in the first round, Mikal Bridges from Villanova University!”
“Bridges?”
Chen Yilun froze for a moment.
Because of Chen Yilun’s influence, the Clippers were tanking far more decisively than they had in the original timeline.
As a result, their draft position had risen accordingly.
This time, the Logo Man had his eyes on Villanova’s gifted wing, Mikal Bridges.
“Still ruthless.”
Chen Yilun could only admire him.
The old man’s eye for talent was as steady as ever—his first move in the rebuild netted a high-quality wing.
Under Chen Yilun’s instructions, the 76ers had originally planned to take Bridges at tenth. Unexpectedly, Mr. West had cut in at the last second.
While Chen Yilun was thinking, Blackstone’s call came through.
“Boss!”
The moment the line connected, Blackstone’s anxious voice rang out.
“Mikal got snatched. What should I do now?”
“Don’t panic.”
Chen Yilun rapidly flipped through the draft list. “Let me see… let me see.”
Suddenly, his eyes stopped on a name.
“Michael Porter Jr. Pick him!”
“Got it!”
After responding, Blackstone asked with some lingering concern,
“But boss, if we take Porter Jr., what about you?”
“Me?”
Chen Yilun suppressed a laugh.
“I’ll just take whoever’s left.”
“I’ll pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander!”
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