The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 370 - 196 "Who did you say LeBron replaced?"_2

Chapter 370: Chapter 196 "Who did you say LeBron replaced?"_2

The Heat Team’s trade announcement is official.

They’ve sent James, Mike Miller, and McRoberts to the Thunders in exchange for Durant and Perkins.

Hansen stroked his chin and pondered for a while before some things started to make sense.

This trade was sudden, indicating it was a last-minute deal.

In such an unexpected trade, it basically comes down to Riley making a quick decision.

In other words, it was the Thunders who made the offer to the Heat, and then Riley didn’t hesitate to decide.

Not to mention us, I bet right now James and Durant, the two main characters of this trade, are even more surprised than we are.

But it’s also completely logical, because if I were Riley, seeing the Thunders’ offer, I’d be desperate to fly to Oklahoma City to put Presley on a plane, for fear that the Thunders would change their minds.

So, what is the Thunders’ motivation for wanting James?

If it had been earlier, Hansen would have found it hard to understand, but having gone through his own early contract extension, he should be able to get it now.

Say it a thousand times, for a small-market team, championships are important, but money is even more important.

The commercial value that James could bring to the Thunders is clearly greater than that of Durant.

Of course, there’s also a precondition that the Thunders had a disastrous Western Conference Finals loss to the Grizzlies last season, which made the team lose hope of making it out of the West.

Since they aren’t going to win a championship anyway, they might as well think about how to make more money.

After all, the Thunders are good at drafting, and Durant was also developed by them, so actually, there’s no loss.

And, stepping back, a lineup with Westbrook, Harden, James, and Ibaka isn’t bad at all.

Having straightened this out, Hansen couldn’t help but laugh.

Setting aside whether Harden will stay on the team, just the idea of Westbrook and James on the same team is quite a picture.

As the only transmigrator, Hansen knew precisely what a scene it would be to have these two brothers on one team.

Both wanting the ball, both wanting to grab defensive rebounds, both eager for fast breaks, both after stats...

Playing together, who knows if they’d end up fighting first.

If Harden ends up not being traded, they’d have to split the basketball in half.

"The Heat won’t be easy to play against," Jamison, who had regained his composure, continued.

Wade, Durant, Bosh, Perkins—the Heat indeed got what they wanted, a center, and a small forward, though a luxurious version of both.

Setting aside the question of a dynasty, the difficulty for the Grizzlies to defend their title this season has just gone up a notch.

...

"What did you say?!"

Durant, who had just finished a grueling session in the gym, was resting when his agent’s call came in.

His first reaction was disbelief.

I’ve been grinding my skills, intent on having a showdown with that scoundrel Hansen. Why would the boss trade me first?

However, after calming down, he couldn’t help but laugh.

He actually knew the internal struggle for ball dominance on last season’s Thunders team better than anyone.

It’s just that he had good relations with both parties, so it wasn’t easy to speak up.

And even if he did speak, it wouldn’t make a difference; neither Westbrook nor Harden would give up ball rights just because he said so.

So, he could only rely on practice to improve himself.

Well, now that’s done, he’s been traded, so he doesn’t have to worry about those issues anymore.

And the Heat’s strength is obviously stronger than the Thunders’, which also means that his chances of defeating Hansen are increasing.

Since he can’t beat Hansen in the West, he’ll just have to do it in the Finals.

In this battle for a man’s pride, he must emerge victorious!

And there’s one more thing—he’s actually part of the Seattle crowd and was unhappy with the team’s relocation to Oklahoma City.

Now that he’s been traded by the Thunders, when he goes back to Oklahoma City in the future, he finally won’t have to suppress those feelings of discontent.

Thunders, watch out for the new season!

...

"What the hell did that bastard old man Pat Riley do!"

When James found out he was being sent to the Thunders, he was furious.

Oklahoma City is a standard agricultural city, even more rural than Cleveland. Was he supposed to go there and sell farm products?

Riley had no respect for him; it was an outright exile!

But now, he felt powerless; this was the sad plight of not having a no-trade clause.

"When a player is just a commodity," it had happened to him, a commercial player, and it was only now that he felt that impotent rage.

"If only I had insisted on a no-trade clause when signing the contract, I wouldn’t be so passive," Rich Paul lamented.

James looked at Rich Paul, his eyes bloodshot with anger.

After thinking for a while, he picked up his phone, not to call Riley, but to reach out to his agent, Leon Ross.

"Our partnership is over."

After hanging up the call, he turned to Rich Paul, "Richie, from now on, you’re my agent."

Rich Paul was stunned; he hadn’t expected his offhand remark to lead James to make such a decision.

But then came the uncontrollable euphoria.

Among the "Four Knights," he had always played a role akin to a staff officer, but now he finally had the title.

And being James’s agent meant big money.

He was now only short of kneeling in front of James and shouting, "Long live the king."

"King, we only need to endure two seasons, and then we can return to The East," Rich Paul advised, suppressing his excitement and trembling hands.

He really understood James the best among the Four Knights; James didn’t want to go to The West at all.

After all, that purgatory was a real test of strength, and despite the Nike aura, it would be tough to break through.

But staying in The East, regardless of whether he could win the championship, at least the chances of making it to the finals were still high.

As long as the stats looked good and the teammates lost but not him, at least his reputation would remain intact.

James said nothing, but he had no choice but to agree.

This incident taught him that in his next contract, wherever he went, he had to secure the no-trade clause.

"Even if we can’t get a no-trade clause, we could also sign a 1+1 contract afterward. Not only would we regain the Bird rights, but we would also have firm control," Rich Paul continued.

Hearing this, James patted Rich Paul on the shoulder; it seemed his decision to make Rich Paul his agent was correct.

...

After the news of James and Durant switching teams spread, the entire League experienced a quake.

James’s journey to The West, the Heat’s terrifying lineup—undoubtedly, these made next season very promising.

However, the fans hadn’t had their fill of discussion when a series of subsequent chain trades related to this deal made them fully realize how crazy next season was going to be.

First up was Ray Allen.

Having already had conflicts with the Celtics, and seeing the team prioritize renewing Garnett while only offering him a near pauper’s contract of 2 years for 12 million, he decided to get even with the world, announcing his addition to the Heat Team with a 3-year mini-mid-level deal.

Now, the Heat’s lineup for the new season would be unprecedentedly terrifying.

Following that, an even bigger trade was revealed; the Thunders unsurprisingly chose to part with Harden.

The Rockets, 76ers, Thunders, and Nuggets agreed to a blockbuster four-team trade.

The Rockets sent out Binamu, received Harden, Morris Harkless, Vucevic, and a 2013 second-round pick from the Nuggets;

The 76ers sent out Iguodala, Harkless, Vucevic, and a protected 2015 first-round pick, receiving Binamu and Harrington;

The Thunders sent out Harden, receiving Afflalo, a Nuggets 2014 first-round pick, and a protected 2015 first-round pick from the 76ers;

The Nuggets sent out Afflalo, Harrington, a 2013 second-round pick, and a 2014 first-round pick, acquiring Iguodala.

No sooner had James arrived than Iguodala followed him to The West!

Meanwhile, over in The East, the Magic Team also reached an agreement with Howard, sending him to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets part with a package centered around Brook Lopez, plus three future first-round picks, to get Howard.

Adding the previously signed Joe Johnson during free agency, and the eventually renewed Deron, the Brooklyn Nets formed an F4 superstar lineup with Deron, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, and Howard.

The Nets now became an Eastern team on paper capable of contending with the Heat.

The East had its duel for dominance, but The West... the Grizzlies, Lakers, Thunders, Spurs, Mavericks, Nuggets, Clippers, Jazz, Rockets.

This wasn’t purgatory; it was outright hell!