Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1083 - 609 The B-Side of the Real World_2

Chapter 1083: Chapter 609: The B-Side of the Real World_2 Chapter 1083: Chapter 609: The B-Side of the Real World_2 “`

That year, that’s how he let DeAndre Jordan and Chris Bosh go.

After Beverley transferred, who was the most upset? Naturally, it was Irving.

Although Beverley played the same position as him, their tactical significance and development potential were not on the same level; Beverley gradually became his bodyguard.

Outside, Irving would also say that he wanted to protect Beverley under his wings.

Well, now the team decided to provide Beverley with a more reliable wing.

Irving expressed strong dissatisfaction with this.

“If you don’t care about my opinion, then one day I won’t care about your opinion either.”

...

This was Irving’s tweet after Beverley was signed by the Clippers.

To appease Irving, the Supersonics hoped to make a splash in the free agent market.

However, top players, upon receiving the offer from the Supersonics, would remember Chris Bosh’s experience in Seattle and even the GOAT couldn’t end his career with the Supersonics.

If even the GOAT and top mercenaries couldn’t get a good ending in Seattle, why could I?

The karma planted back then is now gradually showing its harm.

The first to refuse the Supersonics was Wade, his reason was simple: “If I go to Seattle, what will you do with Brandon Roy?”

Sam Presti replied, “We will solve this issue properly.”

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

But Wade directly rejected the Supersonics’ proposal.

After going through various issues with the Miami Heat, what he disliked the most was teams that think they can “properly solve” their worthy players.

Their so-called proper handling is always a betrayal to the veterans in the end.

Then, DeAndre Jordan also rejected the Supersonics.

And the question the Supersonics couldn’t answer was, “Why did you not want me before, but now you want to sign me back?”

In the end, the Clippers had to invest heavily in two frontcourt players.

First was the thirty-something veteran Paul Millsap.

The Supersonics offered him a full four-year max contract, something other teams couldn’t match due to concerns about Millsap’s age.

Next was the controversial young big man Greg Monroe.

He chose to sign a qualifying offer with his original team last summer, and he played well in his fifth season, but the problem was his old-school style of play, average shooting ability, and weak defense. Despite these clear shortcomings, he was still only 24 years old, averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds per game. It’s important to note that Yao Ming, last season’s first-team center, averaged only 17 points and 7 rebounds.

The Supersonics decided to take a gamble on Monroe, so they offered him the max.

Monroe happily signed the contract.

After some maneuvering, the Supersonics finally spent their money.

Strangely enough, even after they signed two max-contract big men, outsiders still weren’t optimistic about their return to the playoffs next season.

“The Supersonics’ signings are like adults buying sweets for a tantrum-throwing child. We don’t know if Kyrie is satisfied with this, but if this is all they can do in Kyrie’s last rookie contract season, we can only say that these moves provide very limited help.”

Subsequently, Brandon Roy announced that he would exercise his player option.

In recent years, Roy’s injury situation has become increasingly serious, and his contract has become somewhat of a burden for the Supersonics.

However, his contract expiration timed perfectly with the last year of Irving’s rookie contract.

Therefore, this was acceptable.

But this also meant that if he couldn’t prove his worth in the new season, this would be his last big contract.

Next came a series of restricted free agents’ re-signings.

Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Chris Thompson, Chris Middleton… These young players who proved their worth received big contracts.

As these re-signings were finalized, the free agent market inventory also gradually cleared up.

The player everyone was vying for was LaMarcus Aldridge.

This frontcourt player, who could play both the power forward and center positions, was not only an offensive focal point but had also developed a pick-and-pop three-point shot early on, making him the top big man most suited to the modern style.

The Knicks, Miami Heat, and Cavaliers all made offers to Aldridge.

Aldridge first refused the Cavaliers.

Then, he weighed his options between the Knicks and the Miami Heat.

On one side was the world’s largest market; on the other was a tax-friendly policy and living environment for the wealthy.

In the end, Aldridge chose the Knicks, which seemed more promising.

This decision meant that the Knicks were about to say goodbye to DeAndre Jordan.

Once again, due to functional redundancy and not enough value for the price, DeAndre Jordan felt backstabbed by the team and was furious, vowing to make the Knicks pay.

As his good friend, Durant expressed his “anger” towards the team through other channels.

Given that Aldridge was the replacement for DeAndre Jordan, the sincerity of this anger remains to be observed.

DeAndre Jordan was ready to join the Miami Heat.

However, after failing to pursue Aldridge, the Heat turned to woo Love.

This showed DeAndre Jordan a harsh reality: if the Knicks had failed to sign Aldridge, they would not have chosen to re-sign him, but would have turned to pursue Love instead, only considering him if both Aldridge and Love went to other teams.

Such is the cost of one’s style going against the tide of the times.

In the end, the two disappointed individuals, Wade and DeAndre Jordan, after consultation, chose to join the Chicago Bulls together.