Early the next morning, Chen Yilun carried a cup of hotel coffee up to the top floor.
The Cavaliers had reserved the entire level—there wasn't even a single staff member around.
"Yo! Everyone really showed up!"
Chen Yilun walked into the conference room, pulled out a chair, and sat down with a grin.
Since there was no game today, nearly the entire Cavaliers front office was present. Altman's GM team and Tyronn Lue's coaching staff packed one whole side of the room.
On the other side of the table sat only Chen Yilun.
The contrast was striking.
Even so, the Cavaliers were on full alert.
After all, everyone knew the hyena man across from them was a bona fide super–general manager—if you weren't careful, he'd swallow you whole.
"You guys should already know what I'm asking for, right?"
Chen Yilun didn't bother with pleasantries once he sat down.
"Thaddeus Young's immediate impact, his team-friendly contract—you know all that as well as I do. No need for me to repeat it."
"Of course," Altman replied.
"But we can't agree to your terms."
"You want Rose and Iman Shumpert as the core pieces, and our draft pick? That's absolutely impossible."
"What's so impossible about it?"
Chen Yilun lifted an eyebrow, unrestrained.
"Sure, Rose looked good with the Knicks last year—around 18 points a night—but you know exactly what he is now. His availability is nowhere near guaranteed.
He tore the meniscus in his left knee at the end of last season. He's healthy now, but one small injury and I'm stuck holding the bag."
"And Shumpert? Don't even get me started. His level has been dropping nonstop since the season began. His contract is pure negative value. If not for salary matching, I wouldn't even consider trading for him."
"So I need the draft pick. I need some kind of future security."
His words hit like rapid-fire blasts, leaving the Cavaliers' side speechless.
Seeing Altman struggling under the pressure, Tyronn Lue quickly jumped in to help.
"What you're saying is all just possibilities. Rose has been playing really well for us, and the injury concerns are just your opinion. As for Shumpert, early-season ups and downs happen. I'm confident they'll both perform well moving forward."
"You're confident?"
Chen Yilun couldn't help laughing.
"If you were really that confident, would these two even be on the table? Coach Lue, we're all old foxes here—you think you can tell me ghost stories?"
Both sides heated up instantly.
After half an hour of arguing, the Cavaliers finally cracked and started giving ground.
"How about we drop Derrick Rose."
Altman tested the waters. "He's our only reliable point guard right now. What if we base the deal around Shumpert and Channing Frye?"
"Stop right there."
Chen Yilun raised a hand immediately.
"Let me be honest—I came here for Rose. If he's not part of the trade, then there's no point in continuing."
Feeling the firmness in his tone, Altman had no choice but to abandon the idea.
And he wasn't wrong—Chen Yilun had zero interest in anyone other than Rose.
As a longtime fan, he'd witnessed Rose's peak with his own eyes—he was a die-hard believer.
Before, Rose's massive contract kept him out of reach. But now that he was on a minimum deal?
Chen Yilun had to help Rose.
"If you insist on Rose, then you've got to give us another player as a sweetener."
This time, Coach Lue offered a new idea.
"You've got plenty of young guys. Give us LeVert."
"LeVert? Why don't you just ask for Durant?"
Chen Yilun nearly spit out his coffee.
"You're refusing to even include a draft pick for Rose and Shumpert, and you want my sixth man and current starting two-guard? Keep dreaming."
"What starting two-guard? He's just some fringe player you called up from the G League because Booker got hurt!"
"Hey!"
Chen Yilun shot to his feet.
"You've got to be kidding me! You're calling LeVert a G League player?"
His irritation flaring, he rolled up his sleeves.
"Coach Lue, you've got G League shooting guards too, right? How about we make a bet? Next time we meet, you use your G League guard, I use my LeVert—no excuses. Let's see what happens."
Seeing Chen Yilun genuinely fired up, Coach Lue quickly waved his hands.
"Come on now, no need to get mad!"
He'd only been trying to lowball—the usual negotiation tactic. But comparing normal G League players to those developed by the Kings was ridiculous.
In today's league, Kings-produced G League players were the hottest commodities around. Earlier this year, when Chen Yilun sent his G League guy Dorian Finney-Smith to the Hawks—and the kid immediately blew up and became their starting forward—the trend reached its peak.
The Kings' G League system had quietly joined the league's list of mystical phenomena, right alongside the Rockets' castoffs, Spurs assistant coaches, and Thunder rookies.
"You won't give us a player, and you still want a draft pick. That puts us in a tough spot," Altman said awkwardly.
Seeing the Cavaliers finally bending, Chen Yilun didn't push too hard. Dragging it out any longer would stall everything.
"We're definitely not giving you a player,"
he said, glancing at the documents on his laptop.
"But there's still room to maneuver. I've got plenty of second-round picks. If you feel like giving us a first-rounder is too much of a loss, I can use some seconds to balance the deal."
His sudden concession stunned the room.
"Mr. Chen Yilun, could we take a short break? We need to discuss your proposal internally."
"Sure! My coffee's empty anyway."
He shook his cup. "Let's meet again in half an hour."
...
The moment Chen Yilun stepped out, the Cavaliers' front office exploded in argument.
"I still think it's too big a loss!"
Tyronn Lue was the first to voice his opinion.
"With James' attitude unclear, we have no idea what our future picks will be worth. If we miscalculate, it could be a disaster!"
"You think I don't know that?" Altman said, pained.
"But we've got no choice. If the front office doesn't show enough commitment, we won't keep James!"
"I don't know if you noticed…"
An assistant suddenly spoke.
"But throughout that whole negotiation, Chen Yilun seemed way more interested in Rose than we expected."