Chapter 413: The Final Revelry
Buford’s phone screen clearly displayed the headline:
Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat Complete Trade.
The Kings traded their No. 9 pick in this year’s draft to the Heat in exchange for the Heat’s unprotected 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick swap, and this year’s No. 36 pick.
“That’s really selling it at a great price,”
Popovich couldn’t help but sigh after reading the news.
“Riley is usually stingy as hell. Why is he suddenly being so generous?”
Sitting off to the side, Wright listened to the two heavyweights talking and couldn’t help but ask.
“Isn’t it because that old fox got something out of Chen Yilun?”
Popovich snorted coldly.
“Word is Butler and Miami have been flirting with each other lately, and Chen Yilun played a role in it. Riley’s just returning the favor.”
“I really didn’t expect Yilun to be this decisive,”
Buford followed up.
“To give up such a massive foundation without hesitation—honestly impressive.”
“Enough talk. It’s starting.”
As Popovich finished speaking, Adam Silver’s signature bald head appeared at the podium.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Barclays Center,”
Silver said with a practiced, professional smile.
“Another group of young men will be joining the NBA family this year.”
As Silver finished, the cameras began sweeping across the arena.
This year’s draft was even more spectacular than the previous two.
Headlining the class of 2019 were Duke’s Big Three: Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish.
In particular, Zion—hailed as the next LeBron James—had attracted countless scouts ever since high school.
Following closely behind the Duke trio were a group of elite prospects, including Ja Morant, the pride of Murray State University, and De’Andre Hunter from the University of Virginia.
“Another successor to James?”
Watching the hulking young man on the screen, Gay couldn’t help laughing as he spoke.
“We really should thank LeBron. Guys with our kind of build have made a lot more money over the years thanks to him.”
Gay’s comment immediately triggered laughter throughout the room.
For a long time after James entered the league, many teams tried to replicate his success, making players with similar styles or physiques especially desirable.
Part of the reason Gay himself was drafted so high back then was because he benefited from James’s influence.
“Alright, alright, it’s starting!”
Everyone’s attention shifted to the screen.
“The 2019 NBA Draft—
With the first overall pick, the Memphis Grizzlies select Zion Williamson from Duke University!”
Because of Chen Yilun’s butterfly effect, the Pelicans—who were originally supposed to luck into the top pick—ended up sneaking into the playoffs, causing their draft position to plummet.
As a result, the No. 1 pick landed in the Grizzlies’ hands.
Without any hesitation, Memphis took Zion, the clear-cut top talent in both ability and hype.
A player like Zion didn’t need teams to worry about fit.
Based on what he showed in high school and college alone, it was the team that had to adapt to him—not the other way around.
Amid thunderous applause, Zion accepted the Grizzlies cap from a staff member and walked onto the stage to shake hands with Adam Silver.
“So who’s even on the Grizzlies roster right now?”
Chen Yilun turned to Graham and asked.
Because the Kings had barely interacted with the Grizzlies’ front office over the past two years, Chen Yilun genuinely had no idea who was still there.
“Who else could it be?”
Graham thought for a moment before answering.
“Memphis is basically centered around last year’s rookie, Bagley. Oh, and that piece of ‘real estate’ they’re stuck with.”
“the so-called Memphis ‘real estate’ … Chandler Parsons”
“You mean—”
After hearing that, Chen Yilun turned with interest.
“So right now, Memphis is basically just Bagley and Zion?”
“That’s pretty much it.”
Good grief.
Chen Yilun barely managed to suppress the urge to burst out laughing.
He never imagined that, thanks to his butterfly effect, a Grizzlies team that should have been stacked with star power would end up such a mess.
Whether it was Zion—destined to be plagued by injuries—or Bagley, who simply wasn’t cut out for a leading role, the Grizzlies’ rebuild was bound to be an uphill battle.
The most dangerous piece of all was Zion.
He wasn’t the kind of player who would just flame out completely. As long as he was healthy and on the court, he could play up to his potential. He was just far too injury-prone.
Players like that are actually the most harmful to a team.
Just look at the Pelicans down the line—they fell straight into that vicious cycle.
They couldn’t bear to give him up after investing so much,
but re-signing him only trapped the team in endless waiting, wasting the competitive window of their role players.
As Chen Yilun chatted with his staff, Adam Silver stepped onto the stage once again.
The next pick belonged to the Utah Jazz.
After Divac took control of the Jazz last season, he fully carried out Chen Yilun’s plan, sending the team into a graceful nosedive in pursuit of a high pick.
The result was exactly as Chen Yilun predicted: although they missed out on the top pick, their near-bottom record earned them the No. 2 selection.
“Are we really passing on Barrett?”
In the Jazz’s draft room, Divac’s assistant asked cautiously.
“We’re passing,”
Divac said, putting on an air of deep contemplation.
“Coach K is an expert at packaging players. Plenty of general managers have been burned by him before. We’re not falling into that trap.”
Why was Divac so confident?
Obviously because he’d already received Chen Yilun’s little note.
“With the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select Ja Morant from Murray State University!”
Author's Note
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