"Yilun, you must already have a plan in mind. Can you tell me what you're going to do with the eighth pick?" Ranadive looked at Chen Yilun, encouraging him to continue.
"I'm planning to trade down from the eighth pick for a late lottery selection plus either a future first-rounder or an NBA-ready contributor," Chen Yilun laid out his plan without hesitation.
"I've done my homework. At the back end of the lottery, there are plenty of players with strong development potential—Zach LaVine, T.J. Warren, or Jusuf Nurkić, for example. All safe picks." He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before continuing.
"Then we add a couple of players who can contribute right away. They don't have to be stars—just reliable rotation pieces. That way, we keep our lottery pick while adding depth to the roster."
After being reborn, Chen Yilun looked at the draft list like it was a pile of gold bars. Blind box? Please—here, everything is in plain sight.
"Since you already have a plan, then go for it. You're the GM—you have the authority," Ranadive said, waving off Divac, who had been about to speak. As the new owner, Ranadive didn't care much for the old Kings loyalists in the front office. Doing Chen Yilun this favor was a way to win his loyalty and quietly expand his own influence within the team.
Ranadive might not know basketball well, but when it came to office politics, he was an expert.
When he went against the grain to bring in Chen Yilun, it was for two reasons. First, Chen was personally endorsed by Gregg Popovich as his protégé—pure Spurs pedigree. In NBA management circles, that was a golden calling card.
The league isn't that big, especially among executives. It's as tangled as medieval Europe—you were my apprentice, I was his assistant coach—everyone has their own turf, fighting for their faction. And the strongest faction right now? Popovich's Spurs network.
Popovich isn't just a great coach—he's a master teacher. Over decades, he's produced a legion of protégés who now hold positions across the league, many of whom have trained protégés of their own. The Spurs coaching tree runs deep, and its branches cover nearly every team.
With the Popovich disciple label, who wouldn't show Chen Yilun some respect?
Second, Chen was young, and young leaders can be easily isolated by veterans. A few gestures of goodwill from Ranadive, and he'd have Chen hooked. All he was really doing was granting power that technically already belonged to him—pure profit.
Thinking of this, Ranadive allowed himself a cold smile. He'd already used the same trick on Mike Malone a few days earlier.
If all went as planned, both the GM and the head coach would end up as his loyal subordinates. When that happened, no amount of protest from the veterans would matter—the team would remain firmly in his hands.
"If you've got the plan, then make it happen. That's exactly why I hired you." Ranadive stood, radiating the authority of a man ending a meeting.
"Talk often with Coach Malone and listen to the coaching staff's views. And no matter how you do it, by the end of this season, I expect to see real change. Obvious change."
With that, he left the conference room with his daughter Anjali, ignoring the sour looks on Divac and Peja's faces.
"All right, gentlemen!" Chen Yilun exhaled in relief as Ranadive walked away. Looked like he'd cleared the first hurdle. "The offseason might be downtime for players, but we've got a lot of work to do. Let's skip the small talk. Coach Malone, I'd like a word with you alone."
As Chen Yilun and Malone left, Divac's expression darkened like a thundercloud. "Who does he think he is—coming in here to criticize our decisions and change them at will?"
Peja, seated beside him, sighed. "Calm down. He's the GM now. Like it or not, we're his deputies. Just bear with it, old friend."
"Bear with it? You want me to put up with this green rookie?" Divac snapped. "One day, I'll show him how cruel this league can be."
...
In Malone's office, Chen Yilun flipped through the team roster. "Coach, it's just us. Tell me your read on the current lineup and what needs improving."
"Ball handler," Malone answered without hesitation. "We badly need a quality perimeter ball handler. Last year Isaiah Thomas ran the offense fine, but his size killed us on defense. We had no choice but to move him."
Back in 2014, Thomas hadn't yet become "the best 5'9" player on the planet," so the Kings' decision to let him go was understandable—few teams want to build around a point guard significantly shorter than his opponents.
In Chen Yilun's memory, the Kings would soon splash big money on Darren Collison as their new point guard, but Collison's performance would be merely average—well short of expectations.
"I see. What else?"
"We need a consistent scoring threat. Cousins is dominant in the paint, but…" Malone tapped his temple, "he's not always stable. And Rudy Gay—no real complaints, but…"
Malone trailed off. The Kings' two current cornerstones were indeed a challenge. All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins had plenty of talent but was a hothead prone to baffling plays. On the wing, Rudy Gay was the definition of good but not great.
Gay had posted a strong 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game last season, but anyone who watched the Kings play knew the feeling—he seemed good at everything, but great at nothing.
What a mess. Chen Yilun rubbed his temples. So many problems, all tangled together. He'd have to untie them one knot at a time, and just thinking about it gave him a headache.
"Got it. I'll let you know before I make any final decisions. If you spot a good fit, bring it to me."
After a handshake, Chen Yilun left with the roster sheet in hand. Time was short, and he needed to act fast.
If things unfolded as he remembered, LeBron James—fresh off having his title hopes crushed by the Spurs—would soon opt out of his contract and return to his hometown Cavaliers. Cleveland would then trade their prized No. 1 pick to the Timberwolves for All-Star power forward Kevin Love.
That blockbuster would shake the league to its core. After all, this was peak LeBron—not the older Lakers version, but the sky-soaring King James.
To profit from this trade, he had to stir the waters while the league was in chaos. Exploiting chaos? That was the first lesson Buford ever taught him.
Once that was settled, Chen Yilun finally had a chance to check his system. A transparent screen appeared before him:
Host is now the Sacramento Kings GM. Assigning tasks—
Complete a trade to strengthen the Kings and start the season with five straight wins. Reward: Beginner's Boost Pack
• Achieve an A+ offseason trade rating. Reward: Intermediate Boost Pack
• Challenge: Win 2014–15 GM of the Year. Reward: Ace Manager Badge
• Challenge: Lead the Kings to the playoffs. Reward: Top Boost Pack + Random Badge
Gift packs? Badges? Were they going to send him a medal or something?
As he puzzled over it, the system spoke again: "First-time binding detected. Issuing newbie rewards: 1 Random Boost Pack, 1 Random Badge. Use now?"
"Use!"
Two spinning wheels appeared before his eyes, covered in text. Squinting, he read: Beginner Three-Point Card, Beginner Defense Card, Bronze Rebuker Badge, Silver Heartthrob Badge…
Before he could finish reading, the wheels spun on their own. "Huh? Already? Don't I get to say 'Go' first?"
They stopped quickly. A flash of white light, and two cards floated before him. "Congratulations, host—Beginner All-Around Attribute Card. Negotiation Expert Bronze Badge."
He inspected them—Beginner All-Around Attribute Card: Select a player to increase all attributes by 2 points. Binding is permanent. Negotiation Expert Bronze Badge: Slightly increases negotiation success rate, making it easier to secure favorable deals.
Perfect. The attribute card could boost one of his players, while the badge compensated for his lack of negotiation experience.
Chen Yilun bound the badge to himself at once. A sly smile crept across his face. Time to go rob some teams.
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