Chapter 418 - 419
Chapter 418: Entering the Port (1)
As the draft came to an end, tension instantly began to build among the teams.
The reason was simple—this year’s free agency market was simply too tempting.
Unlike previous years, a wave of All-Star players led by Kevin Durant opted out of their contracts to test free agency.
This year’s class included the Kings’ top two stars, Durant and Butler; the Celtics’ franchise player Irving; the Raptors’ core Leonard; and the Warriors’ second option, Klay Thompson.
Beyond them were players like Kemba Walker, Russell, Al Horford, Middleton, and Kristaps Porziņģis—names hovering just below true All-Star status.
It was no exaggeration to say that every general manager in the league was itching to make a move.
This was shaping up to be a year of massive realignment. Anyone could see that once-dominant teams like the Kings, Warriors, and Spurs had reached critical crossroads.
Do they grit their teeth and keep pushing to stay competitive, or do they pull the plug and begin a period of laying low to wait for the right moment?
It was truly a choice between heaven and hell.
“Jeff Van Gundy, what are your thoughts on the upcoming changes to the league landscape?”
With the Kings firmly securing the championship crown, Chen Yilun’s name had long since broken free of the basketball world, becoming a true phenomenon-level star. As a result, ESPN specially produced an offseason program dedicated to covering all the major developments.
“At this point, it’s basically certain that the Kings are entering a transitional phase,”
Jeff Van Gundy said calmly in the studio, dressed in a light beige suit.
“Durant’s camp has been openly flirting with other teams on the free agent market lately, yet the Kings and Chen Yilun have shown no reaction at all. That alone tells us that Durant and the Kings have already reached a peaceful separation.”
Speaking of this, Jeff Van Gundy couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
“You really have to admire Chen Yilun’s magnanimity here. Durant was able to leave the Kings so smoothly, and even now there isn’t a single negative voice about him in Sacramento. That doesn’t happen by accident—it clearly reflects the efforts made by Chen Yilun and the rest of the Kings’ management.”
Those words hit at the heart of the matter.
A player of Durant’s caliber is someone any team would normally do everything possible to keep.
To use a slightly imperfect analogy, Durant is a nuclear weapon in basketball terms. Put him on any team, and that team instantly becomes playoff-caliber.
Historically, whenever players of this level leave their original teams, it’s almost always accompanied by power struggles and behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Teams try every possible way to squeeze out the last bit of value.
For someone like Durant to leave in his prime without bringing back any tangible return—and for the team to harbor no resentment at all—that truly qualifies as a rarity in league history.
“At this point, Durant’s departure is basically a done deal. As for Butler, his stance is still somewhat ambiguous,”
Jeff Van Gundy paused before continuing.
“Although Butler previously expressed an interest in staying, judging by the current situation, there’s a very high chance he’ll be leaving as well.”
“Jeff, why do you say that?”
Mike Breen, his longtime partner, asked at just the right moment.
“First, look at Butler and his team’s attitude toward the Kings,”
Jeff Van Gundy said, picking up the thread smoothly.
“The logic is simple. Butler and the Kings go way back, and their previous cooperation was largely positive. If Chen Yilun truly wanted to keep Butler, he could’ve used his Bird Rights to extend Butler before last season’s trade deadline. There was no need to wait until now.”
“On top of that, there’s been almost no indication that the Kings are actively pursuing a renewal with Butler.”
“From both an emotional and practical standpoint, that’s not how you treat a key contributor. And once his bargain contract ends, Butler is eager to secure a major payday.”
“As a player, Butler has essentially collected every honor there is—except leading a team to success as the unquestioned centerpiece.”
“And those are exactly the things Sacramento can’t offer him. So their parting ways was only a matter of time.”
While the discussion in the studio was heating up, the atmosphere in a Sacramento conference room was just as tense.
“I still think this is a huge loss,”
Anjali, now the president’s assistant, was the first to speak.
“We’re really just letting Durant and Butler walk? With nothing in return? What does that make us—just a stopover?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way,”
Seeing the meeting heading toward a stalemate, and with Chen Yilun still silent at the head of the table, Graham thought for a moment before speaking.
“Butler may have been acquired via trade, but he’s clearly chasing a big contract and a higher status. And right now, he’s a completely unrestricted free agent. We can’t force him to do anything.”
“But we can’t just watch him leave either,” Anjali shot back. “If we try to trade for other players in the future, they’ll see us as nothing more than a transit station—no loyalty at all.”
In truth, Anjali’s concern mirrored what many general managers around the league were currently doing.
The logic was straightforward.
When players wanted to leave, teams weren’t necessarily trying to extract maximum value. What they really wanted was to send a signal: players who come here don’t just walk away easily.
“There’s no need.”
Just as the meeting was about to deadlock, Chen Yilun finally spoke.
“When it rains, it rains. When someone wants to leave, that’s not something we can stop. We might as well do them a favor and send them off properly.”
“But—”
Before Anjali could finish, Chen Yilun raised a hand to stop her.
“The way other teams in this league operate won’t do. It needs to change.”
As he spoke, Chen Yilun slowly stood up from his seat.
“We need to make one thing clear to the league. If this is how we treat those who leave us, then the treatment for those who are willing to stay with us should be self-evident.”
“How could people whose entire national history doesn’t even add up to the length of a single dynasty understand our philosophy?”
“Have you ever heard of spending a fortune just to buy a horse’s bones?”
....
Chapter 419: Entering Port (2)
“Friends!”
Chen Yilun looked at the people seated below him.
Some of them had been placed into his team over the years through various exchanges of interests during long periods of collaboration.
More of them, however, were people Chen Yilun had personally recruited himself.
“We’ve already accomplished feats that most people could never achieve in an entire lifetime.”
As he spoke, there was a trace of regret in Chen Yilun’s tone.
In his original vision, with Graham and McNair by his side, he should have been able to transition smoothly into the role of a behind-the-scenes elder statesman.
But judging from the current situation, this so-called retired emperor still had to step out from time to time to take control of things.
The faction led by Anjali, representing the interests of major shareholder Ranadivé, still held a great deal of influence within the team.
At critical moments, only Chen Yilun—a man with unquestioned merit—could step in and truly convince everyone.
“We have to understand one thing,”
Chen Yilun said, emphasizing each word.
“And that is what our current task really is.”
“The dynasty has already been built. This warship that belongs to Sacramento has completed its journey and is now slowly sailing into port.”
“Everything we need to do now is to make sure this massive ship docks safely.”
“This will determine whether we can remain competitive for the next ten years. You don’t want me to become the next Jerry Krause, do you?”
Those words carried tremendous weight.
The name Jerry Krause was hardly unfamiliar to longtime fans.
As the general manager of the Bulls, it was under Krause’s watch that the franchise completed its six-championship dynasty.
Yet during his tenure, Krause himself was constantly questioned and criticized by both fans and the media.
As Chen Yilun grew step by step into his current role, he gradually began to understand Krause’s decisions—moves that had once seemed abstract, even incomprehensible.
In the end,
Krause was nothing more than a high-level executive carrying out the ideas of then-owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Later generations, awed by Michael Jordan’s near-mythical performances, pinned all the blame on Krause, with many believing his success was simply riding on Jordan’s coattails.
But few people truly understood that Krause’s contributions were indispensable to the Bulls’ two dynasties.
Whether it was selecting “Batman” Pippen and “Cobra” Grant in the same draft, or later defying widespread opposition to trade for Rodman—who had all but been cast aside by the league—these were clear reflections of Krause’s sharp eye for talent.
Even near the end, Krause still wanted to trade a declining Pippen for draft picks in order to acquire the then red-hot prospect Tracy McGrady.
All of it showed that Krause’s vision and control of the bigger picture placed him firmly among the very best in history.
The two biggest mistakes of Krause’s career were these:
He underestimated Michael Jordan’s competitive level late in his career, and he underestimated how irreplaceable Jordan truly was.
That was why, after all the storms he endured, aside from Jordan himself, Pippen, and Bulls fans who still held lingering resentment, there was almost no one else around the league who spoke negatively about Krause.
Chen Yilun’s words plunged the conference room into a strange silence.
What he had just said was no small matter—it effectively tied his entire career to the decisions being made right now.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Seeing Chen Yilun look as though he were ready to stake everything on this, Anjali started to panic.
The reason the Kings were so united and everyone was able to focus on their own roles wasn’t just because of Coach Malone’s coaching.
A huge part of it was that the players trusted Chen Yilun. They believed he was someone who always had their backs and would never sell them out.
If she didn’t stand with Chen Yilun now, and the team really did fall apart later, the pressure from public opinion alone would be more than Anjali could handle.
“If there are no other objections, then we’ll proceed as I’ve said.”
Seeing that Anjali didn’t continue speaking, Chen Yilun decisively brought the discussion to a close.
“If they want to leave, let them leave. Not only must we not stop them—whether officially or unofficially, we need to do everything properly and send them off with goodwill!”
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“Kevin, we go way back. The offer we’ve put on the table is already generous enough. Why won’t you sign?”
Peja looked at Durant sitting across from him, on the verge of breaking down.
In Peja’s original thinking, Durant had already achieved everything—three championships, three Finals MVPs. He should have been completely satisfied when it came to accolades.
Now he had New York, one of the biggest markets in the league, and on top of that, he and Durant were old friends from their Kings days.
Add in a max contract, and it should have been a done deal.
Yet even now, Durant still hadn’t signed his name on the contract.
“If there’s anything you’re worried about, just say it. As long as we can do it, we will!”
“It’s not really about worries.”
Durant shifted a bit awkwardly in his chair before speaking.
“Peja, you’re an old Kings guy too. You know what my days were like back then. Players at Siakam’s level were just backing me up. Basketball was so easy—no distractions, just go out there and score.”
“But after spending the past couple of days looking around Brooklyn…”
“Other than being a big city, what does this place really have? And the teammates on this roster… they’re kind of…”
Durant had already chosen his words carefully, but the meaning behind them still stabbed straight into Peja’s heart.
That’s trash talk! Straight-up trash talk!
Wasn’t he clearly saying the current Nets roster just wasn’t good enough?
“Kevin, don’t rush it. You have to take things one step at a time. Look at the young guys we brought in this year—every single one of them had their name cleared on Yilun’s side.”
Hearing that, Durant—who had been looking rather indifferent—immediately perked up.
“You’re saying those new young players were all recommended by Yilun?”
“Of course.”
Peja replied with a smile.
“You know the relationship I have with Yilun. Once you officially sign, I’ll figure out a way to dig a few more people out from his side.”
“Sounds good.”
A crafty smile crept onto Durant’s face. He and Peja exchanged a knowing look, then both burst out laughing together.
“Achoo!”
Back in Sacramento, Chen Yilun let out a loud sneeze.
“What’s going on here?”
He muttered to himself as he pulled out a tissue. “Who’s talking about me again?”
Author's Note
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