"PJ Washington?"
Inside the 76ers' small draft room, Divac stared blankly at the footage playing on the TV.
He honestly didn't know much about this Washington kid.
"He was in the McDonald's All-American class before."
Hearing Divac's confusion, the 76ers' assistant general manager quickly explained.
"Later went to Kentucky. One of that guy's disciples."
"Oh, right."
That immediately cleared things up for Divac.
Back when he was still with the Kings, Chen Yilun had been very close with Kentucky head coach Calipari. Last year's selection of Alexander had reportedly come directly off Calipari's strong recommendation.
Picking another Kentucky product now made perfect sense.
"Is Chen Yilun really being that generous? Spending money just to buy goodwill?"
Divac frowned, sensing something wasn't quite right.
His former boss had always been famously tightfisted—getting anything out of him was like pulling teeth. Yet now he was suddenly so easygoing?
Two straight years of Kentucky picks.
"It can't just be because of Calipari. There has to be something I'm not seeing."
After leaving Sacramento, Divac had only grown more aware of how unconventional Chen Yilun's moves really were.
"Go check if Chen Yilun's had any private contact with Kentucky lately."
In truth, Divac was overthinking it this time.
Chen Yilun picked Washington purely for locker-room reasons.
With Durant and Butler about to leave, the Kings were in desperate need of rebuilding their internal structure. When those two were still around, Durant kept his head down and handled the basketball side of things. If any conflicts came up, Butler naturally stepped in to deal with them. The younger players just had to follow behind the two veterans.
But now that protective canopy was gone, and everything had to be shouldered by the young guys themselves.
Before, Chen Yilun could afford to ignore everything else and draft purely for future superstar upside.
Now he couldn't. He had to find players who actually fit the team's structure.
A team that blindly chases potential is never sustainable.
There had been plenty of examples around the league—teams that ignored results, ignored the development of existing players, and tanked endlessly just to chase high-upside prospects. In the end, reality proved that path didn't work.
A proper team needs clear hierarchy and defined roles.
Scorers score. Playmakers organize. Defenders defend.
Only teams like that are truly competitive.
Washington was exactly that kind of player.
Purely in terms of ability, whether on offense or defense, Washington wasn't on the level of Siakam or Anunoby. But he had something else—an edge forged on the streets, a rough, gang-like toughness paired with a strong sense of brotherhood.
That was precisely what the Kings were lacking right now.
Murray also came from the streets and had that same tough aura, but he didn't have the kind of "I'll bleed for the team" mentality. And as a future near–All-Star, there were plenty of situations where Murray simply couldn't be the one to step in.
That's why Washington—with his physical style and plug-and-play toughness—was Chen Yilun's best option at the moment.
"Alright, alright, don't worry. I'll take good care of the kid you recommended. Okay, okay, no more chatting—I've still got a pile of work to deal with here. I'll head to Kentucky in a couple of days and we'll grab a meal."
"You big shot better be ready to pay up then! Hahahaha!"
Almost the moment the Kings selected Washington, Calipari's call came through to Chen Yilun's phone.
The relationship between NCAA head coaches and NBA executives had always been mutually beneficial. NBA front offices needed firsthand information from college coaches, while NCAA coaches relied on league connections to help their players reach the NBA and strengthen their own résumés.
So even though Calipari was highly senior in coaching circles, Chen Yilun's meteoric rise over the past two years meant the two were now practically on equal footing.
As Calipari liked to put it:
"We all do our own math. Your mentor and I are brothers, and you and I are brothers too. Everyone counts their own way."
"This really is a mess."
Chen Yilun shook his head with a wry smile and hung up.
"Where are we now?"
"The lottery's almost finished."
Graham, who'd been glued to the TV the whole time, spoke up.
With the Celtics selecting Romeo Langford, the lottery phase of the draft finally came to an end.
"All the main star prospects this year are already gone,"
Graham whispered to Chen Yilun.
"Alright."
Chen Yilun picked up the tablet on the table and glanced over it.
By now, most of the usable players were already off the board.
The only ones still worth a look were Grant Williams, Jordan Poole, and Keldon Johnson.
Grant was a classic system player—he could only reach real value within the right structure.
Poole had once flashed as the Warriors' X-factor, but after that punch from Green, his development never truly delivered on his talent. In this timeline, with the Wizards, he was merely average—far from someone you'd build a team around.
As for Keldon Johnson, despite being a fan favorite among Spurs supporters, his actual ceiling was highly questionable. His best statistical season came when the Spurs were free-falling in the standings and he was pushed into a temporary leadership role during the Wembanyama sweepstakes.
His ability to lead a team or deliver in high-pressure situations had never really been proven.
That was why Chen Yilun—even as a die-hard Spurs fan in his previous life—still didn't choose Johnson.
"Let's wait for now."
Chen Yilun took a sip of his coffee and spoke calmly.
"We're not getting involved in the first round anymore."
"What about the second round?"
Catching the implication immediately, Prince asked.
"We'll see."
Chen Yilun took another small sip.
"There are some decent players in the second round. We can watch how things play out and grab someone if the fit is right."
…
(Full Series is already available on P@treon)
[email protected] / GhostParser