Klay Thompson?!
Yes.
It really was Klay Thompson.
Was Blake surprised?
Not at all.
Not long ago, when Suns GM Lance had asked Blake for his opinion on strengthening the roster, Klay had been one of the players Blake recommended.
In fact, Blake had named three players at the time: Yao Ming, Klay Thompson, and Yi Jianlian.
Yao Ming needed little explanation. At his peak, he had been comparable to the best center in the Western Conference, and even now, after taking the [Injury Reduction Candies], he was still a very capable player.
Then there was Klay Thompson, one half of the future "Splash Brothers," a top-tier 3-and-D player and one of the league's elite shooters. There was no questioning his ability.
Blake had no reservations about recommending either of those two.
As for Yi Jianlian, or more specifically Yi Jianlian at this stage of his career, there was indeed a gap between him and the other two.
So Blake had to admit there was a small amount of personal bias involved.
Even so, Yi had decent talent. If a team truly believed in him and gave him the opportunity to show what he could do, he was still capable of producing.
Those were the three players Blake had recommended as reinforcements.
Lance did not trust his own judgment as much as he trusted Blake's. In the end, he took Blake's word on Yao Ming and brought Yao to the Suns on a relatively high annual salary.
Then there was Klay Thompson, a highly drafted rookie.
Klay had already shown his talent in college. Although he had not played particularly well early in Summer League or in several games afterward, the Warriors still believed in him.
After making the poor decision that cost them Curry, the Warriors were especially reluctant to part with another shooter like Klay. That made it difficult for Lance to acquire him cheaply.
In the end, Lance sent Frye, Dragić, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Warriors in exchange for Klay Thompson and Golden State's 2012 second-round pick.
He had finally managed to bring Klay to Phoenix.
The last time Lance had paid a steep price in [Immediate Impact] to trade for Curry, he had wavered and wondered whether the deal was really worth it.
This time, however, his resolve was firm.
He trusted Blake's eye for talent.
As for Yi Jianlian, Lance ultimately gave up on the idea. Looking at Yi's current production and the talent he had shown, Lance simply was not impressed enough.
Not even Blake's recommendation could change his mind.
There was nothing Blake could do about that. Basketball development took time. If Yi wanted to become better, simply staying by Blake's side would not be enough.
In the end, it still depended on Yi himself.
This year's draft class was also extremely deep. Players such as Leonard and Butler had very high ceilings and were excellent prospects.
But Blake was already surrounded by talented young players. He no longer needed to wait years for more prospects to slowly develop.
What he needed now was [Immediate Impact].
That was why, among the rookies, he had chosen Klay instead of Leonard, Butler, or anyone else.
Inside the gym, Klay Thompson stepped forward and shook Blake's outstretched hand.
Then he introduced himself a little shyly. "Hello, everyone. I'm Klay Thompson."
Coach Gentry chuckled. "This is our newest member. Get along, work hard, and prepare for the new season together."
"Let's win the championship again."
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
George and Curry roared, their fighting spirit already rising.
"Mm-hmm."
Seeing how serious everyone was, Gentry nodded in satisfaction and left.
"Prepare, prepare! Train, train!"
George wasted no time and immediately got to work.
"Hey~"
Curry walked over to Klay in the rest area with a grin.
"Klay, I heard you're a great three-point shooter. Since we're teammates now, we should get to know each other."
"How about we start with a three-point contest?"
"Sure."
Klay nodded, but then looked toward Blake on the court.
"Actually, I want to challenge Blake first. He shoots even better from three."
"I've wanted to know for a long time what it feels like to go against a center who has taken three-point shooting to the absolute limit."
"Me?"
Blake pointed at himself, then laughed. "Sure. Come on."
"Hey~!"
Curry immediately looked unhappy.
"I was the one who challenged you first. How can you go against Blake before me? And what do you mean Blake is better from three?"
"I'm pretty damn good from three too!!!"
Off to the side, George had just thrown down a violent dunk. He glanced at the complaining Curry and said leisurely, "Stephen, just accept reality."
"When it comes to shooting threes, Blake is top tier."
"George!!!"
Curry glared at him. "Then play me one-on-one."
"Bring it on. Who's scared of you? You can barely dunk. Beating you one-on-one will be a breeze."
"George, what did you say?!!"
"Hahaha!"
George versus Curry.
Klay versus Blake.
And just like that, the Phoenix Suns' offseason training kicked into full gear.
But the Suns were far from the only team working hard during the offseason.
The entire league was preparing for the new season.
...
At the Heat's practice facility, the Big Three and the rest of the team trained intensely for several hours.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Clang!"
Drenched in sweat after the session, the players finally headed to the rest area and sat down.
"Hey!"
LeBron clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention.
"Last season, we lost to the Suns, but we still pushed the Finals all the way to Game 7."
"And last season, we were far from perfect. Every one of us still had room to improve, and our chemistry wasn't where it needed to be either."
"So yes, we lost the series, but we weren't completely beaten."
"This offseason is our opportunity to become stronger. Individually and as a team, we can all reach another level."
"Defeat left us battered and bruised, but that also means we have nothing left to lose."
"Next season, let's put everything on the line and take that championship!"
"Yeah!!"
Wade was the first to roar, with Bosh following right behind him.
Then every Heat player raised an arm and shouted.
They had already stepped out of the shadow of losing the championship.
Now everyone was looking forward, all of them fixing their eyes on next season's championship trophy.
As long as the "Heat Big Three" remained together, Miami had the ability to contend for it.
...
At the Thunder's practice facility...
"Swish!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Harden buried a three-pointer, while Russell Westbrook and Durant each threw down a one-handed slam, drawing applause from the rest of the Thunder players.
Off to the side, head coach Scott Brooks watched his players train with complete focus, a deeply satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"A full year of development. Kevin, Russell, Harden, and Ibaka have all improved."
"And with another offseason of growth on top of that..."
"I can't wait."
"I really can't wait to see what the Thunder look like next season."
"The defending champion Suns? So what? The Heat Big Three? So what? The Lakers with Paul and Kobe? What about them?!"
"If the Suns were the team that shocked the league last season, and the player who shocked everyone was the 'Monster Rookie' Blake, known as 'The Emperor,' then next season..."
"The team that captures the entire league's attention will be the Thunder."
"And the players who shake the league will be... the 'Thunder Trio'!"
...
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