Chapter 255: Settled
“The league has officially entered the era of superstar alliances!”
When Chen Yilun said this, Peja felt his head buzzing.
“Small-market teams are going to have a harder and harder time surviving.”
Chen Yilun sighed softly.
“Superstars are all flocking to big cities. That era when every team could flourish in its own way—it's gone.”
Hearing this, Peja asked anxiously:
“Then what about us? Our market isn’t exactly big either.”
“We just need to take care of our own work.”
Chen Yilun explained.
“Manage our salary cap properly, develop our rookies well—do those two things right.”
“Understood!”
Peja nodded and went back to work.
Chen Yilun sat alone in his office, staring into space.
After the recent wave of trades, the market was completely drained of quality players.
With so many Eastern Conference stars migrating west, the Western Conference felt like it was celebrating a festival.
...
“The curtain has officially risen.”
In the studio, Mike Breen spoke with a hint of emotion.
“Look at how polarized the West has become. Teams like the Grizzlies, who used to guard the playoff gate, have completely torn things down and started tanking.”
His partner, Jeff, nodded.
“In the West now, you're either competing for the title or you're tanking—there’s no middle ground left. If your team doesn’t have at least two All-Stars, you’re embarrassed to even show up.”
“Take a look.”
Jeff flipped through the papers in front of him.
“The Kings have Durant and Butler as their star duo, plus Jokić—forming their own Big Three.
The Warriors have Curry, Klay, and Paul George.
The Rockets have the Harden-Paul combo.
The Thunder have Westbrook, Melo, and White Magic forming a new Big Three.
The Spurs have the Double-D duo plus CJ.”
Right now, the West belonged to these five teams. Everyone else had no chance.
“And as for the East…”
Mike Breen took a breath and continued:
“The situation is more complicated there.
Irving’s departure to Boston has severely weakened the Cavaliers, especially with Isaiah Thomas opting for hip surgery immediately upon arriving in Cleveland. If Kevin Love doesn’t step up next season, the team really will be down to just LeBron James.”
“In contrast, the Celtics—after assembling their Big Three—still have Brown and Tatum as their double-rookie-star duo. They’re positioned for both the present and the future.”
After Mike Breen finished, Jeff picked up the thread:
“The Wizards are in an awkward position. They went all-in to form a Big Three, but they failed to break through the East for two straight years. Rumor has it the locker room isn’t very stable.”
“Tough times for the Wizards.”
Mike Breen sighed.
“After Wall’s injury last season, the team kept stumbling. And starting this year, all of their draft picks are in Chen Yilun’s hands. Washington can’t move up, can’t move down—they’re stuck.”
“The Toronto Raptors have been scrambling all over free agency. In the end, at least they managed to trade for Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies—not a complete loss.”
...
...
“Looks about right.”
Malone rubbed his tired eyes.
“This will be our temporary roster.”
The Kings’ lineup for next season was essentially finalized.
Starters:
Josh Richardson, Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokić
Bench:
Thaddeus Young, Rudy Gay, Greg Oden, DeJounte Murray, Caris LeVert
This would be the core 10-man rotation.
In the G-League, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Alex Caruso, Dillon Brooks, and OG Anunoby were all leveling up, waiting for their chance.
“On paper, it looks weaker than last season,” Malone admitted.
This summer, the Kings were like a moving target—every team tried to take a bite.
They lost CJ, Bojan, Ben, and Finney-Smith.
And Chen Yilun’s only reinforcements were two rookies.
“It’s only weaker on paper. On the court, we’re not weaker at all.”
Chen Yilun said with a smile.
“Last season, our biggest problem was CJ’s defense. Now Richardson fills that spot, and our final weak point is gone.”
“Still a shame,” Malone sighed.
“Without CJ, we can’t run that two-man game with Jokić anymore.”
“If we can’t run it, then we don’t run it.”
Chen Yilun frowned slightly.
Did Malone have some kind of obsession with two-man actions?
No wonder in the original timeline he treated Murray like a prized treasure.
“You’ve got Durant and Butler—why cling to the two-man game?”
He delivered the brutal question.
“It’s not that—I just liked how conveniently the whole system flowed out of it.”
“For next season…”
Chen Yilun pulled out a cigarette, passed one to Malone, lit his own, and continued:
“We focus on wing pressure.”
“Of course!”
Malone immediately agreed.
“The main thing is Jokić operating from the high post and top of the key to create chances for Durant and Butler.”
Just then, Malone’s phone rang.
“Chris? What’s wrong? What!?”
After a few words, Malone’s expression changed drastically.
“Got it, got it. Chen’s with me. We’re coming right now.”
He hung up in a rush.
“What happened?”
Seeing Malone’s expression, a bad feeling rose in Chen Yilun’s chest.
“Something’s wrong.”
Malone packed up his papers quickly.
“Murray got injured during practice. The trainer suspects ligament damage. He’s already on his way to the hospital.”
“What?”
Chen Yilun’s heart tightened.
Anything involving ligaments was serious—countless prospects had seen their careers ruined by injuries like that.
They rushed to the hospital. Murray had already been taken in for tests.
After a tense wait, the doctor finally walked out with a grave expression.
“The situation is bad. He tore his right ACL.”
“Hiss—”
Everyone in the room sucked in a cold breath.
“For now, all he can do is start the recovery process. He’ll need at least six months.”
Thud!
Standing in the corner, LeVert stumbled and braced himself against the table.
The doctor’s words effectively ended Murray’s season.
Even if he recovered quickly, by the time he returned, the team’s rotation would already be set—and there would no longer be room for him.
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