Chapter 367: The New Wave
“Hey, hey, hey! Stop it! Break it up—stop right now!”
Gay’s sharp voice echoed through the training facility.
It was another day of full-team workouts at Gay’s training camp. Early arrivals were already busy—some warming up on their own, others locked in one-on-one matchups, everyone focused on their own routine.
Gay, who had arrived late again, was stretching his legs while checking his phone on the side.
Then a notification popped up.
His eyes instantly went wide.
Hearing Gay shout, Ben and CJ, who were going at it on the court, stopped at the same time.
“What’s wrong?”
CJ wiped the sweat from his face as he walked off the court. “Why are you so worked up? What happened?”
“This is huge—huge good news!”
Gay waved his hands for a while but couldn’t get the words out properly.
“Forget it, just look.”
He handed over his phone.
CJ and Ben leaned in close, heads pressed together, staring at the screen. It was the freshly announced trade between the Spurs and the Raptors.
“What?! Leonard got traded?!”
CJ froze the moment he finished reading. That fast? Their franchise player was just gone like that?
“That part doesn’t matter!”
Gay jabbed his finger hard at the bottom of the screen.
“Ben, you’re in it too. You’re going to San Antonio!”
“Me too?”
Ben’s eyes went wide as he scanned the final line. Sure enough, his name was right there.
“You two are teammates again.”
Watching the two of them stand there stunned, Gay burst out laughing.
“It’s real!”
CJ was the first to fully process what had happened.
“Ben! We’re teammates again!”
“Hahahaha! That’s great, that’s great!”
Ben finally snapped out of it and laughed along. “I’m finally getting out of that freezing place called Toronto. CJ, I’m not bragging—if the two of us team up, the league’s going to be ours!”
“You lose your mind or what?”
Gay, who had been happily watching from the sidelines, froze for a second when he heard that.
“You two kids talking about running the league? What, you think the rest of us are already dead?”
“Heh, heh.”
Ben laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
“I was just talking big. Don’t expose me like that.”
“But going to San Antonio is a good thing for you.”
Gay stroked his thick beard and spoke calmly.
“Working under Popovich will help your growth a lot. And CJ and Crowder are both there too—it really is the best destination.”
Listening to Gay’s breakdown, the smile on Ben’s face refused to go away.
“Exactly! And with Leonard gone, our CJ just became the second option. The future’s looking bright!”
The entire training facility was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
After all, putting aside CJ and Ben reuniting as teammates, the Spurs trading Leonard meant they had officially exited the championship race.
Their withdrawal slightly cooled down what had already been a powder keg of a Western Conference.
“Great news. Absolutely great news.”
Chen Yilun spoke casually from his office.
“This is practically a gift from my mentor.”
Looking at Malone across from him, Chen Yilun smiled and continued.
“They not only stepped aside themselves, they even boosted the Raptors up a tier. I was worried that after LeBron left, no one in the East would be able to hold Boston in check. Talk about perfect timing.”
“But the situation this year still isn’t exactly optimistic.”
Malone said absentmindedly, focused on trimming his fingernails.
“Even though DeMarcus is back, his recovery is taking too long. The hospital says he won’t be able to return until around the All-Star break.”
“Later is fine.”
Chen Yilun explained.
“DeMarcus is meant to give us an extra layer of insurance anyway. There’s no rush to put him on the floor.”
“What about Murray? The new season’s about to start—how’s he adapting?”
“What else could it be?”
Malone finally stopped fiddling with his nails and grew serious.
“It’s Murray’s first time starting, but he’s already been with the team for two years. He knows everyone here. There’s basically no issue.”
“That’s good.”
Chen Yilun nodded.
“Is the lineup for the new season finalized?”
“It is.”
Malone began listing things off smoothly.
“Durant, Butler, Booker, and Jokić are locked in. Rose will start at point guard for the first game, then we’ll gradually shift to Murray.”
“As for the bench, VanVleet and Siakam have been training for two years now—they’re ready. We’ll keep them coming off the bench this season.”
“Oden is still as steady as ever, but he’s getting older. I’m planning to pair him with Gay more often starting this year. When those two are on the floor, they’re excellent at slowing the pace.”
“Who else?”
Malone glanced at the notes on his phone.
“Oh right—Caruso. Very solid. We’ll have him back up Booker next season. And Alexander and DiVincenzo—just give them some minutes here and there so they can get used to NBA intensity.”
After finishing, Malone looked straight at Chen Yilun and spoke slowly.
“Honestly, sometimes I feel like it’s a waste.”
“How so?”
Chen Yilun pushed up his glasses, intrigued.
“Just look at our bench. Any one of those guys could start on a second-tier team. But here, they’re fighting for backup minutes. Some of them can’t even secure consistent playing time—just stuck waiting by the water cooler.”
“That’s not exactly good for the team’s long-term development. If this keeps up, we might not even be able to keep these young players.”
Malone was speaking from the heart.
A team only has so many roster spots, and total playing time is limited. If some players are on the floor, others inevitably aren’t.
The young guys weren’t stupid. Sacramento was great for long-term development, sure—but no minutes meant bad stats, and bad stats meant no big contracts.
At the end of the day, people play to make money. Ideals don’t put food on the table.
“I know.”
Chen Yilun rubbed his temples.
“But everything—everything—has to give way to next season. Even if we burn through everything we have now, it’ll be worth it.”
His gaze drifted to the miniature championship banner on the desk—the scaled-down version he had quietly kept from their first title.
“A dynasty is within reach. Everything else can wait until this season is over.”
Volume Four: Reaching the Summit — End.
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