Chapter 650: Where Did Chen Yan Go?
The 1st trade of the summer happened on June 18, when the 76ers sent center Dalembert to the Kings in exchange for forward Nocioni and center Spencer Hawes.
On June 25, the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards reached a trade agreement.
The Bulls sent out Hinrich and the 17th pick, clearing enough salary space to chase 2 maximum contract players.
The Wizards sent Chicago the signing rights to 2006 2nd round pick Vladimir Veremeenko, while the Bulls also received a trade exception.
The purpose of this trade was obvious.
1st, Chicago wanted to promote Westbrook and give him more playing time.
2nd, the Bulls wanted more cap space to pursue star players.
According to reports, Chicago management had only 2 real targets this summer.
Chen Yan or James.
It had been more than 10 years since the Bulls last won a championship. The fans and the owner were eager for the team to create new glory.
But the prerequisite for new glory was a superstar.
So Chicago directly aimed at the 2 biggest fish in the market.
To further free up cap space, the Bulls also sent out Yi Jianlian.
Yi had clearly been at a disadvantage in Chicago's power forward rotation last season. Both Tyrus Thomas and Gibson had higher priority for playing time than him.
Before Yi completely lost his value, Chicago decided to ruthlessly move on from him.
The Bulls sent Yi Jianlian to the Warriors, a team he had always longed for.
Golden State had the fast paced basketball Yi liked, along with a huge market.
So Yi Jianlian did not feel abandoned.
On the contrary, he was very happy.
To acquire Yi Jianlian, the Warriors sent out a 2014 2nd round pick and Anthony Tolliver.
Yi Jianlian's salary next season was more than $4 million, while Tolliver's salary was only a little over $500,000.
This trade was purely about saving cap space.
The Warriors practically got Yi Jianlian for free.
On July 1, free agent Drew Gooden signed a 5 year, $32 million contract with the Grizzlies.
On July 2, the Grizzlies gave Gay a 5 year, $82 million extension, keeping their young core intact.
In the new season, Memphis aimed for steady progress.
Their goal remained unchanged.
Continue fighting for the playoffs.
On July 4, Dirk Nowitzki re signed with the Dallas Mavericks, and the league's 2nd No Trade Clause was born.
Nowitzki's extension included a No Trade Clause, commonly known as the right to refuse a trade.
Nowitzki became the 2nd player in league history after Kobe to hold that privilege.
Of course, a No Trade Clause could not be signed just because a player wanted one.
There were conditions.
The player had to have at least 8 years of NBA experience and had to have played at least 4 seasons with the same team.
On July 6, Stoudemire signed a 5 year, $100 million contract with the Boston Celtics, completing a maximum contract extension.
Durant also completed his extension with Boston early, signing a 5 year, $85 million deal.
After those extensions, the Celtics' big 3 framework of Durant, Rose, and Stoudemire was now extremely solid.
Next season, Boston would aim directly at the championship.
Aside from experience, this trio already possessed every condition needed to contend.
On July 8, Ray Allen re signed with the Dallas Mavericks for 2 years and $20 million.
Carlos Boozer finally left the Jazz, joining the Bobcats on a 5 year, $70 million contract.
Chen Yan and James entering the market had also affected the other free agents.
Many teams were clearing cap space to pursue those 2 and did not dare randomly acquire players.
That included the Bulls, who had previously been interested in Boozer.
The Bobcats knew they had no real competitiveness in the race for Chen Yan or James.
No true superstar would choose the Bobcats in the transfer market.
They understood that clearly.
So Charlotte simply used its money to acquire practical players and prepare for a playoff push.
Entering August, James, who had deliberated for a long time, finally announced his ultimate choice.
James's announcement was extremely high profile.
He used a live television broadcast to reveal his next destination.
The Miami Heat.
After careful consideration, James still decided to take his talents to South Beach.
The Cavaliers sent James away through a sign and trade, receiving a $14.5 million trade exception from Miami, along with 2 future 1st round picks and 2 future 2nd round picks.
That was at least a small consolation.
4 draft picks plus a trade exception could help them begin rebuilding.
In truth, Miami had not been James's 1st choice.
James had originally planned to go to New York with Chen Yan.
A big market like New York, combined with strong teammates, was the perfect situation in James's mind.
But he had already spoken with Chen Yan on the phone, and Chen Yan's meaning was clear.
He was not going.
So that option no longer needed to be considered.
Without Chen Yan, relying on the Knicks' mediocre players and Curry, who was only a rookie, there was no possibility of winning a championship.
James valued a championship more than a big market.
Thus, Miami's big 3 was formed.
Compared with the big 3 from the original timeline, there were some minor changes in personnel.
Bosh had been replaced by Pau Gasol.
Bosh watched the news on television and fell into a daze.
He still remembered James inviting him and Wade during the Beijing Olympics.
James had said that the 3 brothers would definitely play together one day in the future.
How could he just leave him behind in the blink of an eye?
Bosh was speechless.
A world where only he got hurt had truly come to life.
When asked about his decision, LeBron emphasized that he had not made his final choice until that morning, local time.
In the interview, LeBron also thanked Cleveland and Ohio for the memories they had given him.
He spoke very movingly, and at one emotional point, he even choked up.
However, pretty words could not stop Cleveland fans from burning his jersey.
The moment James transferred, he was no longer their hero.
In the eyes of the local fans, he had become the symbol of betrayal.
The NBA was a business, but fans did not think that way.
In the eyes of most fans, a star player represented not only the team, but even the entire city.
When a star suddenly announced his departure, it was naturally difficult for the fans to accept emotionally.
One big fish in the market had already entered the pond.
Now, all eyes turned to Chen Yan.
That was especially true for the teams that had actively cleared cap space.
Fans jokingly said that the summer television drama Where Did Chen Yan Go? was still airing.
.....
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