"What is even happening anymore…"
Chen Yilun sat in his newly renovated luxury office, looking utterly defeated.
Ever since the season started, the team had somehow been swallowed by a wave of injuries.
Butler and Murray's situations were already bad enough.
Booker had barely begun resting when Young developed plantar fasciitis and hung up the no-play sign.
In just over a month, nearly half of last season's main rotation had gone down.
"Guess that's the law of luck balancing itself out."
Malone, seated across from Chen Yilun, let out a wry smile and shook his head.
"For the last three years, our luck has been incredible—everyone stayed healthy, and we always had a full roster at the key moments."
He added reassuringly,
"At least we're still early in the season. We have enough time to adjust."
"So what's our main rotation now?"
Chen Yilun pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Malone, and lit one for himself.
"Right now? I actually have to think about it…"
Malone clicked his tongue, then finally said,
"Starters are Richardson, LeVert, Durant, Gay, and Jokić."
"As for the bench, I'm still figuring it out. Probably VanVleet, Caruso, Oden, and Siakam—the kid we just called up from the G-League."
"That's usable enough."
Malone added suddenly,
"Good thing you had the foresight to stash young players in the G-League. And they're all actually good. Our record hasn't really taken a hit yet."
"That's something at least…"
Chen Yilun rubbed his temples, running the numbers in his head.
"But we can only keep this up for so long. If anyone else gets hurt, I'm done. The G-League pool is basically drained already."
"Even the landlord has no grain left."
Then he froze, as if something just clicked.
"Say…"
Chen Yilun shifted in his seat and lowered his voice.
"Should we… think about making a trade?"
"A trade? Why would we trade right now!?"
The moment the words left Chen Yilun's mouth, Malone shot up like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"We've got great momentum! And those injuries aren't season-ending. Can't we just wait it out?"
He slapped the table dramatically.
"Your soldiers are ready to fight to the death—why is the king surrendering!?"
"No, no!"
Seeing Malone ready to explode, Chen Yilun hurried to calm him down.
"I'm not dismantling the team or giving up the title. I'm not insane."
"Then what do you mean?"
Malone finally took a breath.
"What I mean is…"
Chen Yilun chose his words carefully.
"With how well the young guys are playing, don't you think our roster's getting a little overcrowded?"
Malone thought about it for a moment.
"…Maybe a little. But who exactly are you trying to trade?"
"You think…"
Chen Yilun hesitated. "What about trading Young?"
"Young?"
Malone fell silent.
In theory, trading Thaddeus Young made perfect sense.
They'd brought him in to fill the power forward gap, but now that Durant was here, Young's role had become awkward.
"It could work… but won't it hurt team unity?"
Malone finally managed.
Young had been a key part of the rotation last season, a real contributor to their championship run. Letting him go now would naturally raise concerns about chemistry.
"It shouldn't."
Chen Yilun explained,
"Young already sensed this coming over the summer. Right now is actually the ideal time."
Thaddeus Young was a high-level reserve on the Kings, but on most teams he'd be a guaranteed starter. He'd even been in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation last season. Add the championship shine, and his value was sky-high.
And the most important part—
His contract was signed before the salary cap spike.
Just a little over $10 million a year.
In today's league? That was a borderline steal.
If Chen Yilun wanted to trade him, GMs would be lining up with offers.
But this move was also something of a last resort.
The frontcourt was simply too crowded. In the main rotation, Butler and Durant were untouchable, and Gay, as the locker room leader, wasn't going anywhere. That left Young as the only realistic trade piece.
If they didn't move him, players like Siakam, Anunoby—even Caruso and Dillon—would have no room to grow.
So trading Thaddeus Young was unavoidable.
"But if we do trade Young… what are we even trying to get back?"
Malone still couldn't see the angle.
"My thought is to bolster the guard line or the center spot."
Chen Yilun finally laid it out.
"Our guards are solid, but they're all young—mostly still on rookie deals. That's not ideal for their development. We need a veteran presence."
He walked over to pour himself some water.
"As for center, Jokić and Oden look great right now—but if either of them gets hurt, we've got nobody to cover the five. We can't just throw Siakam in at center, right?"
"True."
Malone nodded repeatedly.
"So you already have candidates in mind?"
"A few. But nothing final yet. We've got to evaluate carefully."
Chen Yilun scratched his head.
"These trades can't be rushed. The season's just started. We've got time."
"Fair enough."
Malone stood up. "You handle it. I'll stay out of this one."
He took a couple steps, then suddenly turned back toward Chen Yilun.
"Trading Thaddeus is fine—I won't argue. But that's the only one. Don't go trying to balance the trade later and end up tossing our young guys in as sweeteners."
Malone used to grumble endlessly about Chen Yilun signing a whole room full of prospects, calling it a hoarder's habit and a waste of cap space.
But as those young players started proving themselves one after another, Malone switched sides instantly—like someone flipping a light switch. Now those prospects were his prized possessions.
He wasn't letting a single one go.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser