"Huh?"
Caruso stared at VanVleet's serious expression, scratching the few strands of hair left on his thinning scalp in confusion.
"Bro, we're doing fine—what's with you getting all superstitious just to make me stay?"
"I'm not joking."
VanVleet shook his head firmly.
"Listen, bro. After spending time with you guys lately, I can't shake the feeling that something's special about this group. Especially Siakam—I feel like we just click. Maybe if us underdogs stick together, we can actually make something happen."
"Alright, alright, I'll stay put for now."
Caruso waved his hand, signaling VanVleet to drop the topic.
"But this free agency is insane. The front offices out there are throwing money around like it's nothing."
Caruso sighed, half in awe, half in disbelief.
"You heard about Charlotte? Old man Jordan handed Batum a $120 million deal. Man, how many lifetimes would it take me to earn that kind of money?"
"Just keep training hard and sharpening your game. If we can find our footing in this league, anything's possible."
VanVleet tried to reassure him, though even he didn't really believe his own pep talk.
Over a hundred million… could someone like him ever really make that kind of money?
...
Meanwhile, in his office, Chen Yilun was absorbed in a thick stack of reports.
Thanks to his moves, the entire league was now in complete chaos.
After re-signing Bradley Beal, the Wizards struck again in free agency, signing former All-Star center Al Jefferson to a three-year, $28 million deal to reinforce their interior.
Washington's new lineup was set: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, DeMarcus Cousins, and Al Jefferson.
The struggling Knicks, led by the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson, went on a wild spending spree. They snatched Joakim Noah from the Bulls on a four-year, $72 million deal, then picked up former Detroit starter Brandon Jennings for one year at $5 million. They looked ready to shout, "We're back!"
After losing the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, the Warriors turned their attention once again to free agency.
This time, they targeted Chandler Parsons, who had performed well for the Mavericks the previous season. But the deal reportedly faced strong opposition from "The Logo," Jerry West, and eventually fell through.
In the end, the Warriors kept their core intact—Barnes and Barbosa, who were expected to leave, both stayed.
There was, however, a small twist. David West, whom Chen Yilun had pursued the previous offseason, came knocking, hoping to join the Kings on a veteran's minimum. But with the Kings' roster already overloaded, Chen Yilun had no choice but to turn down the "greatest power forward in the universe."
Determined to chase a ring, the veteran instead signed with the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Miami's situation was even wilder.
After successfully landing the Latvian Unicorn, Kristaps Porziņģis, the Heat had established him as the foundation of their frontcourt. Hassan Whiteside, who was supposed to be their breakout star, was pushed to the bench and ended up signing only a modest two-year deal.
Dwyane Wade, who was expected to leave for Chicago, chose to stay. With Chris Bosh sidelined indefinitely, the Heat became a two-man show—Wade and Porziņģis running the team together.
The rest of the league unfolded much like in the original timeline.
With a new head coach at the helm, the Rockets officially built around James Harden. The proud "Superman" Dwight Howard exercised his player option for the final year of his contract, then headed to Atlanta. That move cleared Houston's cap space and paved the way for 2014 draft pick Clint Capela to step into the starting lineup.
The reign of the "Pie King" had begun.
Following Al Horford's departure, the Hawks brought in the real "Superman," Dwight Howard, and signed Kent Bazemore to a four-year, $70 million deal, setting their sights on another Eastern Conference run.
Up in Toronto, the classic shooting guard prototype DeMar DeRozan opted out of his contract only to re-sign with the Raptors for a staggering five-year, $139 million deal.
"These guys are really getting desperate," Chen Yilun muttered with a laugh as he set the report down.
The league's new villain had shifted from the Warriors to the Kings. It wasn't quite as shocking as in the original timeline, but it was still enough to send front offices around the league into panic mode.
Sacramento had its eyes locked on next year's championship, and the rest of the contenders had no intention of surrendering quietly. Every team was scrambling to strengthen their roster in free agency.
"Who's still available on the market?"
Chen Yilun asked curiously, glancing across the desk at Peja.
Peja picked up the report in front of him, flipped through a few pages, and recalled,
"If I remember right, aside from the minimum-salary guys, the main contributors still unsigned are Pau Gasol and Luol Deng."
"Those two still haven't made a move, huh?"
Chen Yilun rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Gasol was expected to join the Spurs to replace Duncan after his retirement, while Luol Deng was supposed to sign that infamous four-year, $72 million "poison pill" deal with the Lakers. In the end, he used that fortune to return home and help revive South Sudanese basketball.
"Wonder if anything new's gonna happen," Chen Yilun said with a grin, rubbing his hands together like a man about to enjoy a good show.
...
Just as he was settling in to watch the chaos unfold, the Golden State Warriors' front office held an emergency meeting.
The room was silent until owner Joe Lacob finally spoke.
"I'm sure you've all heard by now—Jerry West has stepped down as President of Basketball Operations and retired."
"For now, General Manager Bob Myers will take over as Team President."
A light round of applause followed as Myers stood, smiling politely at the room.
"Everyone, we're on a tight clock," Myers began.
His first words made Steve Kerr's heart sink.
A new broom sweeps clean—was Myers already planning to mess with the foundation Jerry West had built?
It was no secret that while Myers held the GM title, West had been the true decision-maker behind the scenes. Many trades only happened with the old man's approval.
Back in 2014, for example, Myers and owner Joe Lacob had wanted to trade Klay Thompson for Kevin Love. It was West who shut the deal down, threatening to walk away from the team if they did it.
"When Jerry was here, the team ran like a machine. I have no plans to change our current roster," Myers said.
Kerr began to relax—until Myers' next words made him tense up again.
"But last month, we failed to land Durant. That was a major blow. And let's be real—with our current lineup, there's no way we can beat the red-hot Kings!"
"So!" Myers raised his right fist for emphasis.
"We need to use the cap space we have left and bring someone in—no matter what it takes!"