"You mean your dad told you to join my team?"
Chen Yilun stared wide-eyed at Anjali, who stood in front of him in a sharp business suit.
"Yeah! I played on my high school basketball team and have always loved the game. Now that my family owns a team, I want to learn about team operations. My dad said you'd be a good teacher, so he sent me here."
"Hold on."
Chen Yilun immediately made a phone call to confirm.
"Uh… so, princess, what exactly do you want to do here?"
After getting confirmation, Chen Yilun slumped back into his office chair, a little uneasy. He stammered as he asked.
"Please don't call me that."
Anjali's delicate brows furrowed.
"The person standing in front of you isn't some rich girl, but Anjali Ranadive! You're my boss—whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"
"Stop, stop!" Chen Yilun quickly cut off her pledge of loyalty.
"We already have a deputy manager and an assistant manager. For now, how about just being a regular assistant?"
"Of course!"
Anjali's face brightened instantly. "As long as I can learn something, I'm willing to do anything!"
Just then, Peja pushed the door open.
"Boss, it's almost time for our appointment. When are we heading out… Huh? Princess, what are you doing here?"
Chen Yilun and Peja walked ahead while Anjali followed slowly behind, lugging a huge handbag.
"Wait, why is she working with us?" Peja whispered to Chen Yilun.
"How should I know? The boss told her to come in, what can I do about it!" Chen Yilun sighed, clearly troubled. "I don't even know what job to give her. I just made something up on the spot. Want me to assign her as your assistant?"
"No way!" Peja shook his head hard.
"I'm already the assistant to the GM—basically your assistant. And now she'd be my assistant? What is this, some kind of government bureaucracy?"
Good point.
Chen Yilun thought about it. Having an assistant for the assistant really did sound ridiculous. Better to drop the idea.
"We'll figure it out later. For now, just keep her close as an assistant. With her looks, she might actually come in handy around the league."
…
The two of them arrived at a café downtown.
In a private booth, a middle-aged white man in a light blue suit, with a warm and approachable face, immediately stood up to greet them when he saw the three walk in.
"Please, sit." Chen Yilun motioned for him to take a seat.
"Thanks for making the trip. Must've been tiring."
Once seated, Chen Yilun began chatting casually with the man.
"Who's this?" Anjali whispered after sitting down next to Peja.
Peja instinctively wanted to tell her to be quiet, but after a moment's hesitation, he explained. "Mike Schmitz."
"Never heard of him."
Anjali blinked her big, clear eyes, looking innocently confused.
Peja could only continue patiently. "He's an NBA draft analyst for Yahoo Sports. He's looking to switch over and become a scout for us."
"We're hiring scouts?"
"Yeah. Several of our scouts' contracts are expiring this year, and Yilun isn't satisfied with the staff the previous GM put together. So we're taking this summer to rebuild the team."
While they whispered, Chen Yilun got straight to the point.
"I've read over your résumé—it's impressive. But I have one question. You had a good job at Yahoo. Why leave for us? Salary and workload-wise, Yahoo's probably the easier path."
"Because I don't want to be an analyst forever," Schmitz replied. "I want to work in a team's front office. Joining your team would give me a better path forward."
Most people didn't know much about Schmitz.
In his original career, he had worked for Yahoo for years, then moved to ESPN in 2017 as a draft analyst, before jumping to the Trail Blazers in 2022 as an assistant GM.
His biggest claim to fame was being one of the earliest to predict Luka Doncic's success. Back in 2017, Schmitz was a die-hard believer, strongly recommending that the Kings use their second pick on Doncic.
Of course, the Kings ended up taking Marvin Bagley instead.
"Alright, I don't have any more questions. Do you two have anything to ask?"
Chen Yilun gathered the documents on the table and looked at Peja and Anjali.
"What's your view on this year's draft?" Peja asked after a moment's thought.
Schmitz paused to consider, then said, "The first overall pick will come down to Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. But in my opinion, Towns is clearly the better option. Okafor has a high chance of being a bust."
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"I've been following Okafor's games closely. His scoring is too one-dimensional and doesn't fit today's NBA trends. As for the defensive potential everyone keeps mentioning, I think it's an illusion. Most importantly—" Schmitz paused, then continued, "his style and awareness are stuck in the pre-2007 era. If he doesn't adjust quickly, he'll struggle to survive in the league."
After hearing this, Chen Yilun and Peja exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Alright, Mike. Stick around a bit. Take some time to check out Sacramento. Whether or not we move forward, you'll get an email from us by 8 p.m."
"Sounds good."
…
"What do you think of Schmitz?"
Peja was driving, Anjali sat in the passenger seat, while Chen Yilun leaned back alone in the rear, flipping through files.
"Pretty solid," Chen Yilun said, lifting his head.
"He's got his own opinions on rookies and doesn't blindly chase potential. Once we're back at the office, draft a contract and call him in to sign tonight."
With that, he lowered his head and returned to work.
"Oh, and Peja—check where Del is. If he's already landed, send someone to pick him up. I'll treat him to lunch. I've got some things to ask him."
"Del who?"
The ever-curious Anjali blinked and looked at Peja.
"Del Harris," Peja said, eyes fixed on the road.
"The famous Silver Fox Harris!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser