Clear sparkling water poured into a glass, sending countless bubbles rising.
Tonight was the reunion of the Kings' Class of '07.
Oden, Durant, and Young had gathered for dinner.
If they were rookies, they'd probably be spending the night partying in a nightclub, with no restrictions on alcohol.
But all three—Durant, Oden, and Young—weren't the nightclub type. They didn't enjoy social scenes, and they were careful with their diet.
So tonight, the only thing they were drinking was sparkling water.
"Heard the news? The team might trade you."
Durant cut a piece of steak, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
"Totally normal."
Young took a big gulp of sparkling water, his tone calm.
"I was brought in to bolster the wings, but now that we have you and Jimmy, my presence is a bit awkward. Honestly, leaving might be better—following you two around all day kills my chances at a big contract!"
"You sure are taking it well."
Oden grumbled from the side.
"What's there not to take well?"
Young was surprisingly carefree.
"I actually thought I'd be traded the moment Kevin arrived. But Mr. Chen was generous enough to keep me for a full season so I could win a ring before heading out!"
"Good thing you see it that way."
Durant said.
"I thought you'd be disappointed."
"Disappointed? With what? Getting to play a season on a team like this is already incredible luck. It's time to make room for the younger guys anyway."
Young scratched his head.
"Mr. Chen even talked to me a couple days ago, asking if I had any preferred destinations. What preference do I have? I don't have a home team—anywhere's fine!"
Durant thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Still, you should think it through. You don't have many years left on your current contract. You should start planning ahead."
"You're worried about that?"
Young, the one actually affected, seemed entirely unworried.
"You know what I can do. I'll finish out this contract over the next two years and then go get the big one."
He stretched lazily.
"Honestly, the basketball we're playing now feels completely different from how we played decades ago."
"That's the new era for you."
Durant laughed.
"Basketball worldwide is evolving. Everybody's figuring things out as they go. Back in '07, could you have imagined Oden shooting threes from behind the arc?"
As soon as Durant finished, muffled laughter filled the table.
If time turned back, no one would've guessed that big, rugged-looking Oden would one day develop a three-point shot.
"Any leads? You know where you're going?"
"No idea."
Young shook his head. "Haven't you noticed Mr. Chen hasn't been with the team these past two days? Even Prince doesn't know where he went. But if you ask me…"
Young lowered his voice.
"My guess is he's headed to one of those teams in the East. He definitely won't keep me in the West."
"The East is fine."
Durant finished his steak, tore open a dinner roll, dipped it in sauce, and kept talking.
"The East hasn't been that competitive these last couple years. Joining a team there wouldn't be bad."
...
...
"You guys are unbelievable. Can't we talk tomorrow?"
Chen Yilun let out a huge yawn, exhausted.
He'd been negotiating with Altman since the afternoon, and they were still going back and forth.
After two days of talks, the situation had become clear.
The Kings were offering Thaddeus Young and some second-round picks in exchange for Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, and a first-round pick from the Cavaliers.
But the main battle was over the draft picks.
Chen Yilun wanted one of the Cavaliers' future first-rounders, but because of James' situation, Altman refused to let go of any future picks.
He was only willing to give a protected 2019 first-round pick.
"Come on…"
Chen Yilun took a sip of water to soothe his dry throat.
"With that protection clause, you're practically telling me you're never giving me that first-round pick, right?"
A moment ago, Altman had offered him a 2019 first-round pick protected through No. 25, which would convert into two second-round picks if activated.
"No. 25 protection? What were you thinking?"
Altman shifted awkwardly under Chen Yilun's sarcasm.
"Well, your offer wasn't exactly sincere either! You want both my second-rounders protected in the top 45! We're both playing the same game here!"
"Alright, alright!"
Chen Yilun waved him off.
"Then let's both take a step back. You remove the protection on your first-rounder, I'll remove the protections on my two second-rounders. Deal?"
"No deal."
Altman refused to budge.
"No matter how you protect them, your second-rounders are still just second-rounders. If I drop the protection on my first, the risk is way too high."
They clashed for a while longer, and before they knew it, it was well past midnight.
In the end, they parted without an agreement.
"I'll head back tomorrow."
On his way back to the hotel, Chen Yilun spoke with Divac about team matters.
"Not going smoothly, huh?"
Hearing the fatigue in his voice, Divac asked with concern.
"Those General Managers are the type to eat people and spit out the bones. How could things go smoothly?"
Chen Yilun put his phone on speaker and set it aside. He pulled out eye drops and began applying them.
"At least I got something out of this trip. The foundation's set. We just need a bit more negotiation."
"That's good to hear."
Divac replied. "While you were gone, Booker returned. But get this—LeVert is the real deal. We found another gem!"
"Of course we did. Look who drafted him."
Chen Yilun puffed up proudly—then abruptly paused.
"Wait… this is LeVert's second year, right?"
"Huh? Yeah. He spent almost all of last year in the G League. Just started getting rotation minutes this season."
"Got it."
Divac's words made something click for Chen Yilun.
Back in 2016, when the big free-agency supermarket opened, he'd scooped up a ton of players.
Time passed quickly, and now those players were nearing contract renewal windows.
And with the number of young players on the Kings right now, if Chen Yilun loosened his grip even a little…
Another bloodbath was inevitable.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser