The news of the Knicks' championship dominated headlines for several days.
After returning to New York, Lin Yi finally gave himself a chance to slow down. For the first time in months, there were no scouting reports to study, no playoff adjustments to discuss, and no pressure hanging over every possession.
He spent the next few days sleeping late, recovering physically, and enjoying the rare peace of staying home with Elizabeth.
On June 21st, he received the official schedule for the Knicks' championship parade.
James Dolan was clearly going all out this time.
Lin Yi still remembered the celebration after the 2011 title run. Between the parade, security, stage setup, concerts, media coverage, and city coordination, the Knicks had reportedly spent nearly six million dollars.
This year, according to Assistant General Javier, Dolan had not even bothered setting a limit.
That was the confidence of New York.
As Knicks fans liked to say: You can doubt the Knicks, but you can't say we're broke.
Compared to New York's extravagance, San Antonio looked almost painfully modest. When the Spurs won the championship the previous year, their entire parade reportedly cost less than four million dollars.
Even some Spurs fans joked online afterward:
"Comparing people makes you frustrated. Comparing budgets makes you depressed."
. . .
That same afternoon, Tony Allen stopped by Lin Yi's house.
Tony had never been the type to dance around a conversation. The moment they sat down, he got straight to it.
"Lin, I'm sorry, man. I'm leaving New York."
Lin Yi was quiet for a moment before nodding slowly. Deep down, he had expected this conversation to come.
Tony's three-year, ten-million-dollar contract was expiring that summer, and after another championship run, multiple teams were preparing serious offers for one of the league's best perimeter defenders.
Even with limited minutes last season, Tony Allen's value had only gone up.
More and more teams around the league had started to realize how important elite 3-and-D wings were in the modern NBA. Defend the best scorer, hit open shots, bring toughness; every contender wanted players like that now.
Tony looked directly at Lin Yi.
"Memphis offered me five years, thirty million."
He let out a breath before continuing.
"I want to finish my career there."
At thirty-one, Tony understood what this contract meant. It would probably be the last major deal of his career.
He loved New York. He loved the Garden. Knicks fans still talked about his game-winning steal during the 2011 title run like it happened yesterday.
But emotion and loyalty could only go so far.
The Knicks simply could not match the offer.
It was not because Dolan refused to spend. With Lin Yi's supermax extension and Chris Paul's contract already eating up nearly seventy percent of the salary cap, plus Klay Thompson eventually becoming extension-eligible, the front office needed room to breathe.
Lin Yi still tried.
"You sure you can't stay another year?"
Tony smiled faintly and shook his head.
The decision had already been made long before he walked through the door.
In the end, Lin Yi stood up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Hope Memphis treats you well, man."
The moment those words came out, Tony's eyes turned red.
He looked away, staying silent for a few seconds before forcing himself to speak again.
"Lin… thank you."
His voice was rough with emotion.
"Next time we meet, we're enemies."
Lin Yi smiled lightly.
"Nah," he said. "Frenemies."
Lin brought him in for a deep hug.
"Take care."
Tony's departure would not become public until July. New York was still celebrating the championship, and neither the organization nor Tony wanted to ruin the mood.
As he left Lin Yi's house, Tony thought to himself with a touch of humor, I wonder how much these fans will cry when Lin eventually retires or worse...switch teams?
. . .
Lin Yi informed Javier about Tony Allen's likely departure, but Javier did not look surprised at all.
"Lin, we have to be ready for this," he said with a tired smile. "Half the league is watching our roster right now."
Recently, Javier had been overwhelmed with calls from rival teams. Ever since the Knicks established themselves as the league's dominant force again, other franchises had started circling around their role players like predators hunting for weaknesses.
Lin Yi could only sigh.
That was the NBA.
Dynasties always attracted attention, and once a team became successful, keeping the roster together became almost impossible.
Honestly, the Knicks' foundation was already strong enough. Losing role players was acceptable as long as the core remained intact.
The real issue was how teams were targeting New York's depth pieces.
Nowadays, executives around the league have become increasingly aggressive. Poison pill contracts, inflated offers, front-loaded deals, anything that could pressure the Knicks into uncomfortable decisions was now being used against them.
The Knicks had money, but even Dolan understood one thing:
A dynasty could not survive if the salary cap became completely suffocated.
The organization's long-term plan was already clear. Re-sign Klay Thompson early next year, then continue building around the core trio of Lin Yi, Chris Paul, and Klay while filling the roster with specialized veterans and affordable contributors.
Thinking about it, Lin Yi suddenly felt emotional.
"There really aren't many loyal guys like Wilson anymore…"
Player movement in the modern NBA had become ruthless.
Besides Tony Allen's likely move to Memphis, Javier also revealed that Donatas Motiejūnas was attracting serious interest from Houston. The Rockets were reportedly preparing a poison pill offer strong enough to make New York hesitate.
Lin Yi almost laughed from frustration.
"Morey really has no shame…"
Poison pill contracts were currently the Knicks' biggest fear.
Unlike New York, Houston's cap situation was almost completely open. Once Lin Yi's rookie extension fully kicks in, the Knicks would have to operate far more carefully moving forward.
The old days of casually throwing giant contracts around like candy were over.
After discussing things further with Javier, Lin Yi became even more convinced that the Knicks' top priority had to be the 2013 NBA Draft.
"We need young talent," Lin Yi said seriously. "Especially in the frontcourt."
Tyson Chandler had still been excellent overall, but the decline had quietly started.
He could probably maintain his defensive presence for another season, maybe two, with proper load management, but eventually the rim protection would fall off. And once that happened, the Knicks' defensive identity would suffer.
Lin Yi's team-building philosophy had always been simple:
Sustain the dynasty before the salary cap explodes.
If New York could survive this transitional period while maintaining flexibility, things would become much easier later. Once the league cap rose significantly in future years, Lin Yi's enormous contract would actually become an advantage relative to the market.
At that point, a Big Three might not even be the limit anymore.
Big Four.
Big Five.
Maybe even more.
Interestingly, Javier's thinking perfectly aligned with Lin Yi's.
The Knicks' offseason strategy would focus heavily on veterans chasing rings and rookies on cheap contracts. It was the best way to maintain depth while preserving flexibility.
That night, Lin Yi sat in front of the draft projections, quietly studying the names.
The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became.
"There are some really good under-rated players in this class…"
He stared at the list for several more seconds before leaning back with a helpless grin.
"I want all of them."
. . .
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