After the championship parade, Lin Yi pulled himself back into rhythm.
Celebrations could stretch on for others, but not for him.
Summer already had structure. Individual training needed an early start, especially with Elizabeth approaching childbirth. Staying in peak condition was no longer optional. It had to be planned around real life now.
The Knicks had also made their position clear. Lin Yi would not be bound to a fixed summer reporting schedule. He could return to team activities whenever he chose, without restrictions.
In practice, it sounded like freedom. In reality, it was something closer to leverage. The strongest players always ended up with flexible rules, even if no one admitted it openly.
Owner James Dolan went a step further. He arranged the best private hospital in New York for Liz and agreed to cover all medical costs without conditions.
Around the league, that kind of treatment rarely came with no expectations attached.
. . .
On the 23rd, Javier's negotiations collapsed into frustration.
He and Donnie Walsh had spent days probing teams about available lottery picks. The response changed once the Knicks were mentioned.
Front offices that were previously open suddenly became cautious. Some even started questioning the entire draft class.
If the Knicks were targeting picks, it had to mean something hidden. Their recent draft history only reinforced that suspicion.
Since 2009, they have found players like Lin Yi, Klay Thompson, Hassan Whiteside, Draymond Green, the Morris Brothers, Chandler Parsons, and Donatas Motiejūnas. Efficient value picks had become their identity.
Donnie Walsh eventually snapped.
"These people are completely overthinking it," he said, voice tight with frustration.
From his perspective, the request was simple. Two draft picks. Clear terms. No hidden agenda.
But the problem was no longer negotiation. It was perception.
Winning the championship had changed everything. The Knicks were now treated as a team that could turn any asset into gold. That reputation alone inflated prices across the board.
Other franchises viewed it as asset distortion. When a contender asked for picks, the assumption was not a need, but a wise strategy to prevent any asset loss.
Even comparisons were drawn outside basketball. Clubs like Real Madrid CF were often cited, where transfer fees shifted sharply whenever interest became public. The same logic was now being applied to the Knicks.
Across the league office, Commissioner David Stern observed the situation with interest. He approved of balance in principle, but he was not concerned with suppressing success that was earned.
In contrast, incoming commissioner Adam Silver had yet to fully define how that balance would be enforced in practice.
. . .
On the 24th, Donnie Walsh finally got movement.
After leveraging connections with the Timberwolves front office, a tentative agreement emerged. Minnesota was willing to part with the 26th pick in the 2013 first round.
The pick had originally come through a prior trade and was not central to their plans.
They had been considering Andre Roberson at that slot, but after reassessing value in light of new discussions, confidence in that direction weakened.
The 2013 draft class itself carried uncertainty. Outside of a few future standouts such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo, the rest of the board felt inconsistent. Many front offices quietly adjusted their expectations upward or downward depending on projections, not certainty.
When Lin Yi received Donnie Walsh's call—during which the general manager attempted to claim significant credit for the deal—he came close to verbally dismantling him.
A 26th overall first-round pick was undeniably solid. Yet in Lin Yi's view, it hardly warranted the level of deference Walsh seemed to expect.
The more Walsh elaborated on the effort he had invested in negotiations with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the more Lin Yi questioned the man's judgment.
Enough, he thought. Kerr, come take over. The Knicks need you as general manager.
While the Wolves' front office had proven remarkably accommodating, Lin Yi ultimately chose to preserve Walsh's dignity.
In truth, he believed a single first-round pick was insufficient; the return should have been at least two. Nevertheless, the trade proceeded: the Knicks would send Donatas Motiejūnas to Minnesota.
There was little alternative. The organization had no long-term plans to retain Motiejūnas, whose performance had fallen short of expectations.
Rather than risk losing him for nothing when his rookie contract expired, it was wiser to trade him proactively for tangible assets.
NBA rules often reduce players to commodities; understanding and operating within those rules was essential. Lin Yi applied the same pragmatic lens to himself, treating his own future contract negotiations with equal detachment.
He had already resolved to sign only one-year deals with the Knicks moving forward. Although his current relationship with owner James Dolan was strong, business realities could shift.
Even the astute Florentino Pérez had sold Cristiano Ronaldo. A businessman's assurances, however sincere at the moment, could never be trusted completely. One should harbor no ill intent, yet always guard against the intentions of others.
. . .
On June 25, negotiations with the Atlanta Hawks collapsed.
The Knicks had sought the 17th overall pick in the 2013 draft, eyeing Dennis Schröder as a backup guard.
The Hawks, however, were equally interested in Schröder and countered by requesting Draymond Green—an opportunistic ask that Lin Yi swiftly rejected. A player of Green's toughness and versatility was not one to trade lightly.
. . .
The following day, the Portland Trail Blazers initiated contact regarding a potential deal.
The Knicks showed no interest in parting with assets for a second-round selection, causing the Blazers' attempt to extract additional value to fail.
Donnie Walsh's summer thus began with setbacks. While vacationing in Copenhagen, Dolan phoned Walsh directly and delivered a pointed rebuke.
Walsh found the situation increasingly untenable.
Objectively, he had performed adequately; the primary challenge lay in Lin Yi's elevated standards and the Knicks' reluctance to move the Morris brothers, which limited interest in their remaining trade pieces.
"One first-round pick it is, then," Lin Yi decided. The selection position was sufficient to acquire the targeted player.
The painful lessons from the 2012 draft remained fresh: overloading a roster with too many rookies undermined team stability.
After briefing Javier on draft preparations and providing an updated free-agent target list, Lin Yi turned to another priority.
He composed a tweet tagging Steve Nash, who had been largely withdrawn since the Lakers' latest disappointment.
"Yo, Steve, would you consider coming to New York for a relaxing trip and win a ring😉?"
Nash, still reeling from another unsuccessful season, was contemplating retirement.
Lin Yi believed the veteran point guard retained sufficient skill and basketball intelligence to contribute meaningfully.
The Knicks' bench required a steady conductor to orchestrate the offense. Nash's defensive limitations were well known, yet his three-point shooting and playmaking remained reliable.
The team's wings could adequately shield him. Regular-season basketball often favored offense over defense; in the playoffs, strategic adjustments could mitigate any shortcomings.
Two years earlier, Nash had declined a similar invitation, remaining loyal to Kobe Bryant.
Nash saw the message. No announcement followed or decision either.
He thought half joking, half reflective.
Am I fixing something I broke before?
The question hung there without resolution.
. . .
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