"Thump, thump, thump."
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the halls of the Sacramento front office.
Peja jogged all the way to Chen Yilun's door and pushed it open.
"New York's making a move. The Zen Master's declared he'll stop at nothing to get CJ!"
"New York?"
Chen Yilun, who had been sitting at his desk idly playing with his trophy, frowned in confusion.
"What are they getting involved for?"
In his mind, with Carmelo Anthony gone, the Knicks should've been focused on a full rebuild.
Why would they want CJ?
Sensing his confusion, Peja lowered his voice.
"Could it be that the Zen Master's trying to get back at us? We're still holding their first-round pick for next year."
That snapped Chen Yilun out of it.
"Right! The Knicks can't tank this season!"
Back during the Williams trade, the Knicks had already sent their 2018 first-round pick to Sacramento.
And at the time, the Zen Master had been brimming with confidence about building around Carmelo. That's why the 2018 pick had only a top-five protection.
It's worth remembering that after the 76ers' shameless tanking spree a few years ago, the league completely overhauled the draft lottery system.
The biggest change: the bottom three teams now share an equal 14% chance at the No. 1 pick, and only those three are guaranteed a top-five selection.
So now, the Zen Master had only two choices.
Either go all in on tanking for a top-three spot—but that was a risky bet. The Suns, Nets, Magic, and other teams were all gearing up to dive hard next season to grab a spot in the loaded 2018 draft class. If the Knicks didn't land in the top three, they'd end up wasting an entire season just to hand their pick to Chen Yilun for free.
The other option? Strengthen the roster quickly in free agency. Even if they missed the playoffs, at least they could soften the blow of losing their first-rounder.
And Chen Yilun knew exactly which path the Zen Master would take.
After all, his time was running out. Since taking over, his questionable decisions had dragged the Knicks into a mess, and owner James Dolan's patience was wearing thin. If he didn't deliver this season, resignation—or worse—was inevitable.
For someone dreaming of becoming the next Red Auerbach, that kind of failure would be an unbearable stain on his career.
So next season, the Zen Master was bound to fight for his life.
"What's New York offering?"
After piecing everything together, Chen Yilun had a good idea of what was happening.
"No official offer yet, but judging by how aggressive they're acting, it's definitely not going to be cheap."
Peja spoke, but Chen Yilun remained perfectly calm.
"Boss, shouldn't we do something?"
"Do what?" Chen Yilun shot back immediately.
"The whole point of letting CJ hit free agency was to stir things up and help him land a big deal. If the Knicks are willing to offer one, why should we stop them?"
"But what about San Antonio?" Peja asked hesitantly.
Chen Yilun waved a hand dismissively.
"They want CJ, but we're not holding him hostage. Now that the Knicks have jumped into the ring, we can just sit back and watch. If San Antonio wins the bidding, we let CJ go—no problem. But if New York wins, we'll just match the offer, keep him, and pull off a sign-and-trade."
"Won't that completely piss New York off?" Peja asked cautiously.
"So what!"
Chen Yilun scoffed.
"We've fleeced the Knicks so many times already. You think skipping one more will make them like us?"
"Still, we should prepare a backup plan. Reach out through your contacts—see if any teams are interested in CJ. If San Antonio really can't outbid New York, we'll have another option lined up for a sign-and-trade."
"Got it!"
Peja nodded and jogged out of the office again.
After he left, Chen Yilun thought for a moment, then dialed Alvin Gentry's number.
"Coach! You still want Bojan? Things are chaotic right now, so if you don't move fast, I can't promise I'll be able to keep him."
"I know, I know!" Gentry's voice came through, slightly anxious.
"I've been buried handling Holiday's extension. But it's done now—I'll be there soon."
"Just make sure you hurry," Chen said with a chuckle. "You know Bojan's the hottest name on the market right now. If someone else snags him first, my hands are tied."
"Tomorrow!" Gentry said after a brief pause.
"Tomorrow we're flying to Sacramento. We'll cut through all the red tape and sign Bojan on the spot!"
...
While Chen Yilun was juggling all these deals, far away in Toronto, Ujiri and Coach Casey stood courtside, watching Ben's tryout.
"A guy like this can't even get minutes in Sacramento?"
Coach Casey scratched his head in disbelief as he watched.
"He's easily starting caliber for a rebuilding team—speed, defense, shooting—everything's above league average."
Ujiri stood beside him, momentarily speechless.
When Chen Yilun had first offered to send Ben for a tryout, Ujiri hadn't cared much. What could a benchwarmer possibly bring? But after seeing him in person, Ujiri felt his world turn upside down.
This wasn't the same Ben who'd been buried on that chaotic Kings roster in the original timeline. Under Coach Malone's system, he'd evolved into a complete, high-end 3-and-D player.
"What's Chen asking for?" Casey asked, trying to sound calm.
"Sign-and-trade. He wants OG and a future second-round pick."
"What's the contract look like?"
"Chen guaranteed a five-year deal with Bird rights, annual salary kept under $10 million."
"Take it!" Casey said instantly. "That's a steal—no hesitation!"
Ujiri nodded in agreement.
"I'll reach out to Chen Yilun and finalize the trade details."
"Sacramento…" Casey murmured as he watched Ben finish another drill.
"Just how stacked is their roster? Players like this—are they really selling them like they're nothing?"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser