Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1117 - 621 Parting This Trifle_3

Chapter 1117: Chapter 621 Parting This Trifle_3 Chapter 1117: Chapter 621 Parting This Trifle_3 But in the NBA, summer has just begun.

Despite Anthony’s unsightly attitude in requesting a trade and his arrogant “two no-goes” stance, the Lakers did not make it difficult for him.

A big city? And still competitive?

Currently, there is only one team that both has a need for a trade and fits this bill.

The Lakers made direct contact with the Supersonics.

Last year, the Supersonics signed two big men in free agency, but ended up missing the playoffs with a tenth place finish in the Western Conference. Irving’s rookie scale contract had ended, and after four seasons of toil in the NBA, this thinker began to voice his discontent.

To assuage his emotions, the Supersonics needed to make a trade.

...

Greg Monroe’s performance last season with the Clippers was not up to par, and his contract was clearly an overpay, making it a good time to trade him away.

The Lakers weren’t picky. In addition to taking on Monroe’s “bad contract,” they also demanded the Supersonics send over this year’s 12th pick Taolin Prince and a future draft pick.

Although Anthony was already 32 years old, he was still a star-level scorer, far more valuable than Monroe. Given the opportunity to strengthen their roster this way, the Supersonics certainly wouldn’t miss out.

They also threw in their 2017 and 2019 first-round picks in the trade, smoothly acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the Lakers.

The speed and smoothness of this trade even surprised Anthony himself.

Afterward, Anthony thanked the Lakers’ management, reflected on his method of requesting a trade, and expressed that he couldn’t wait to don the Supersonics’ jersey.

However, the Lakers’ front office was slammed by fans over this trade.

Not to mention that this trade nearly dashed Kobe’s last hopes for a championship before retirement, but to trade with the Supersonics? That was the arch-rival that stood in the way of the Lakers’ championships in the 2000s!

Did they let them off just like that?

The Lakers’ front office remained silent.

In their view, although the battles between the once-sole empire and the Evil Empire were grand, the hatred between the two teams was nothing compared to the hostility between the Lakers and the Celtics. Besides, both teams were now in a slump, and the hostility no longer mattered.

The completion of Anthony’s trade marked the end of this drama for the Lakers Team.

An interesting side note of the trades was the Houston Rockets sending Dwight Howard off to the Memphis Grizzlies like taking out the trash, in exchange for a virtually finished Joakim Noah.

The mystery of Howard’s next destination was thus revealed.

This left LeBron James as the only “big fish” remaining in the free agency market, and he had announced his decision to test free agency waters.

Compared to previous years, there weren’t many big-name free agents this year, so James’ options were relatively limited.

However, this year’s free agency market coincided with a peculiar timing.

Or rather, it was a dividend resulting from the 2011 NBA lockout.

Since the beginning of the new century, the NBA’s television contracts had not seen substantial increases until Yu Fei’s rise reignited market enthusiasm. However, the lockout interrupted this growth trend.

It wasn’t until the new season that the League truly began to enjoy the dividends of the “GOAT effect.”

Thanks to Fei’s success with the Clippers, the global market was stimulated, and the NBA signed an unprecedented television broadcasting contract. As a result, the salary cap for the new season soared by 26 million US dollars.

This meant that the era of players’ maximum salaries had entered the stage of 30 million a year, but what about the teams whose salary caps were already filled with maximum contracts?

They either benefitted from the salary cap surge, allowing their team’s salary structure to return to healthy levels; or like this summer’s Miami Heat, they suddenly found themselves with an extra maximum contract slot.

There are many teams in the NBA, but none could make James yearn as much as the Miami Heat.

They held the keys to “Space Basketball”—Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, and the tough forward Jimmy Butler. Now, with 24 million US dollars in cap space, James just needed to take a slight pay cut to join this superstar team capable of contending with the Clippers.

Of course, there were obstacles.

Regardless, Reebok did not want LeBron joining Curry’s team.

This would allow Nike to take a bite out of Miami’s market.

But the problem is, the interests of players and sponsors don’t always align.

A player like Curry has to consider seemingly boring issues such as glory and historical status.

For a long time, LeBron was seen as the second only to Fei, also recognized as the “loser.” With Curry being Reebok’s new favorite, some believe that once Fei retires, Reebok will pour all resources into Curry.

From any angle, Reebok has no reason to let LeBron steal Curry’s limelight. However, for Curry, he understands that LeBron could completely change the team’s frontline, and he knows this is crucial for winning a third championship. Therefore, nothing else matters.

The goal of the Heat is to win a third championship, and so is LeBron’s wish. When Curry expressed willingness to accept him, Riley took the initiative to call for recruitment, and LeBron knew his next stop was Miami.

July 9th

LeBron made the announcement: “This is a hard decision, I always hope to end my career in Cleveland, but now, I need to think about more things… Eventually, I decide to take my talents to South Beach, I am joining the Miami Heat!”

Reebok responded vehemently, with some channels stating: “Reebok swears not to let LBJ gain any honor in Miami!”

Swear? By whom?

This question is not hard to guess.

On this day, Fei announced that he would continue his collaboration with Marvel.

Even though still an NBA player, it seems destined for him to dive into Hollywood after retirement. Even if not in Hollywood, his business ventures are still thriving.

Jerry West, the Clippers’ consultant, was struck by the off-court careers of modern players.

After signing with Marvel, Fei attended a party hosted by Ballmer in Beverly Hills, and Jerry was also present.

Midway through the party, Fei came over to greet Jerry.

“You already look like a retired player,” Jerry joked not so funnily.

“I do plan to work in media after retirement,” Fei discussed his blueprint with Jerry. He plans to take over his media company after retirement, establish a media empire that tells stories in his own way, and invest in new energy and possibly significant societal impact artificial intelligence…

The more he talked, the more fascinated he became, while Jerry seemed more and more disheartened.

“Enough,” Jerry said. “I’ve heard enough.”

Fei looked at him in surprise: “Jerry, are you not happy?”

“I’m glad your generation has real careers outside of basketball,” Jerry said. “The only thing I’ve done aside from playing is getting involved with team affairs, what else could I do? Dig a pit for myself? Maybe.”

Fei laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Jerry got a bit angry, thinking Fei was mocking him.

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“If at nearly 80 years old, I could still be a consultant for an NBA team, just because they think my opinions are valuable, I’d consider my life well-lived,” Fei said. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Jerry, most people live this way.”

Then, Jerry suddenly asked: “Are you retiring next year?”

“Maybe.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

“Jerry?”

“At least get twelve championships,” Jerry said. “That way, you’d surpass Russell.”

“That’s the only thing that could make me burst out laughing before I die.”

When he talked about something that could make him laugh from the heart, his expression was as serious as if he was swearing on the Bible.