With draft night over, all preparations were complete. Chen Yilun was raring to go, waiting for the opening of free agency.
Then...
"Chen! I know you still want to trade for a superstar. But given the situation, I'm already showing a lot of sincerity here."
On the other end of the screen, Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld laughed heartily.
Compared to the Wizards' easygoing atmosphere, the Kings' conference room felt heavy and tense.
As the team's core, the front office had to respect Cousins' personal wishes.
It wasn't an official rule, but rather an unwritten law of the league.
If you wanted to trade your franchise player, and he hadn't made it clear he wanted out—or there weren't irreconcilable conflicts—management was expected to do its best to honor his wishes. In other words, Chen Yilun had to try to send Cousins to the team he wanted.
Of course, Chen Yilun could ignore Cousins completely and shop him around to the entire league.
But doing that would brand him as "cold and heartless." And with his own position still shaky, it could easily stir resentment from other players around the league.
After thinking it over, Cousins gave Chen Yilun two preferred destinations:
The Wizards and the Pelicans.
The reason was simple. The Wizards' star John Wall and the Pelicans' star Anthony Davis were both his close friends. If the Kings didn't want him anymore, then he'd just go play ball with his brothers.
Chen Yilun immediately ruled out the Pelicans.
In the original timeline, Cousins eventually went to New Orleans and teamed up with Davis to form a twin-tower frontcourt. But in the end, they didn't even make the playoffs.
And this was still 2015!
Chen Yilun didn't dare to gamble that forming a twin tower so early wouldn't bring major trouble in the West.
That made the Wizards in the East the best option.
Especially since the Wizards had gone 46–36 the previous season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. (Yes, the East really was that weak back then.)
The Wizards' owner was eager to push the team even further.
On paper, with the Kings willing to sell and the Wizards eager to buy, it should have been a perfect deal.
So why did Chen Yilun still look so frustrated?
"Two first-round picks are not enough!" Chen Yilun finally spoke up.
"You don't want to part with Wall or Beal, and we're not taking a pile of scraps! You've got to add picks! Otherwise, I'd rather just hold onto Cousins.
Our current lineup has already shown it can win. Worst case, I'll wait another year."
He fixed his gaze on Grunfeld. "And if Cousins makes the All-Star team again next season, the price won't be the same."
"No, no, no!"
Seeing that Chen Yilun might really walk away, Grunfeld quickly waved his hands.
"We can work something out. We really want Cousins." Grunfeld gave a bitter smile.
"I'd like to give you more picks, but I just don't have any left!"
The Wizards were in a bind. After this year's draft, their next available pick was in 2018.
In other words, they had already mortgaged their future assets three years ahead.
"The most we can offer is one more pick swap."
Grunfeld tapped the table. "That's already a strong offer, Yilun. You should know by now that no team is touching a straight-up deal for a franchise player. Break him up into smaller trades if you want, but I don't believe anyone will beat my offer."
"I get it. Let's leave it here for today. We'll have a meeting to discuss it internally."
As the screen went black, Chen Yilun rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Alright, let's hear it. What options do we have now?"
His original plan had been to trade Cousins for Butler or Paul George.
After last season, Chen Yilun had built up quite a collection of future assets. He figured, if necessary, he could package a first-rounder or a few second-rounders to land an All-Star forward.
But that proved impossible.
The Bulls and Pacers front offices were dead set against selling.
That left only one option: turning Cousins into the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal.
"Just the 2018 and 2020 first-round picks is way too much of a loss. At least add a 2019 pick swap!" Divac was the first to speak.
"And the players the Wizards are including—too old or too raw. It's way too risky."
Even Malone, usually quiet, spoke up.
"Paul Pierce? What do we need him for? He's about to retire! And it's not like we're short on locker room leaders."
Listening to the back-and-forth, Chen Yilun concluded, "Then take Pierce off the table."
"We also need Kelly Oubre from them!"
Divac slammed his fist on the table. "That kid's really handsome! We could use him as a poster boy to sell tickets if nothing else!"
Chen Yilun listened as the room buzzed with voices.
"Alright, we'll go with that. Anjali!"
"Huh?"
Her head still ringing from all the noise, Anjali quickly looked up when she heard her name.
"Summarize everything we just discussed and let me know when it's ready."
With that, Chen Yilun announced the meeting was adjourned and left the room.
"No! Wait! One at a time!"
As soon as Chen Yilun stepped out, Anjali was immediately surrounded by the group. Their chatter was so overwhelming it left her flustered.
...
Two days later, news broke that shocked the league.
The Wizards had traded their 2013 third overall pick Otto Porter, their 2015 15th pick Kelly Oubre, their 2018 first-rounder, their 2018 second-rounder, their 2020 first-rounder, and the right to swap their 2019 first-round pick.
In exchange, they landed the Kings' All-Star center, DeMarcus Cousins.
For a moment, the entire Eastern Conference was in turmoil.
"The Wizards are really gearing up for a fight against us."
In Cleveland, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin sipped his coffee as he spoke.
"They've mortgaged nearly all their future firsts to build a Big Three of Wall, Beal, and Cousins."
Even he seemed uneasy at the thought.
"The Kings have just handed us a real problem."
Unlike other teams, when the Cavs' management held meetings, they always brought James in.
"The Wizards didn't just give up future draft picks. They practically handed over all their young players as well."
"They're dead set on going all-in for the next two years."
LeBron slowly rubbed his massive hand over the round conference table.
"It's fine. Just desperation. I'll show them—the East only needs one king."
...
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