From South China Tiger to NBA King

Once the news was sent out, it immediately shocked everyone in the sports world.

On Instagram and Twitter, many stars couldn't help but express their shock.

Damian Lillard: "Ward, who can tell me, is this true?"

Giannis Antetokounmpo: "The lineup that only appeared in NBA2K has become a reality, God!!"

Kristaps Porzingis: "There are no words to express how I feel right now other than fucking shocked and crazy!!"

CJ McCollum: “…”

At this moment, the most dejected team is undoubtedly the Golden State Warriors, who just lost in the Finals.

In the original season, they formed the starting lineup of Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, and Cousins. The outside world called them the "invincible courage of the universe." But now because of Green, they have lost Durant and have no choice but to We will no longer become the Warriors in the 15-16 season led by the Splash Brothers.

As the saying goes, Green is the one who succeeds and Green is the one who fails. When Durant was able to join the Warriors, Green played a very important role. Now that Durant has left the Warriors, Green is also a very key part of it.

It can be said that without Green's big mouth, we would not have seen the departure of Durant, nor would we have seen the birth of the super combination of James Durant.

However, compared to the Thunder, which left Durant as a free agent, the Warriors also received some benefits from Durant's sign-and-trade deal.

Magic Johnson convinced Randall to sign a two-year, $3600 contract. As the main body of Durant's trade, the Warriors not only got the newly signed Randall, but also Zubac and last season's Lakers draft Thomas Bryant.

Although the Warriors' outside strength has dropped a bit, they have gained three inside players, which can be regarded as making up for it, and it is definitely not a blood loss.

You must know that Randall's style of play at this time has not yet gone out. The style of playing like a bull rushing in is still very suitable for the Warriors who have attracted a lot of defense from Curry and Thompson.

Jianghu feels that the Warriors losing Durant is not a bad thing. A lineup like the Warriors may not be any weaker than before.

Because compared to the previous weak insiders, the combination of Randall, Rooney, and Green does not seem to be the top in the league, but in this small ball era, it looks more reasonable, because these three insiders are all He is the kind of flexible insider who is more suitable for the Splash Brothers.

The news of James and Durant's cooperation is no less exaggerated than the explosion of a nuclear bomb in the entire basketball circle. No, it is even more exaggerated than the explosion of a nuclear bomb. At least a dozen nuclear bombs from Hiroshima and Nagasaki must be exploded at the same time to achieve this effect.

However, the joining of Durant and James was not the end. Word soon came from woj. At the strong request of James and Durant, Magic Johnson gave Brook Lopez, the starting center of the Lakers last season, a contract. A two-year, $2 million contract.

Brook Lopez remains with the Lakers. Antetokounmpo still doesn't know that the right-hand man who originally belonged to him has become someone else, and he still lamented on Twitter.

Brook Lopez's contract extension has stabilized the Lakers' fundamentals. Even if the Lakers don't make any trades next season, they will still have Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, LeBron... James, Kevin Durant's starting lineup, with a suitable head coach and a little tweaking, this lineup will become an extremely strong lineup that can compete for the championship.

However, this is not the end yet, the excitement is yet to come.

On July 7, Anthony Davis’ agent Rich Paul made a very clear request for a trade to the Pelicans management, and specified that he would go to the Lakers. If he went to any other team, he would choose after the contract expires next year. Not renewing.

Almost at the same time, on the San Antonio Spurs side, Kawhi Leonard also issued an ultimatum to the team. The rift between him and the Spurs could not be repaired, and there was no possibility of renewing his contract with the Spurs. He reiterated his request again. Being traded, the first choice team is also the Los Angeles Lakers.

"........."

"Hold the grass!!"

"6..."

There was silence, and everyone who saw the news was silent.

The Los Angeles Lakers have brought too much shock to everyone. They are indeed the largest wealthy team in history. For them, it only takes one offseason to rise. And it is not that they are pursuing hard, but big names are coming to the Lakers one after another. , just like suddenly seeing sows lining up to jump into the river, making everyone numb.

Moreover, the Los Angeles Lakers have always liked to form a super luxurious lineup. Obviously, it is not enough for them to have James and Durant. They actually also need Davis or Leonard.

The reply from the San Antonio Spurs was very direct. If Leonard can do it, it must be Ingram plus Ball plus Kuzma, plus four future first-round picks.

This is almost Paul
Magic Johnson seems hesitant about this bargaining chip. After all, Leonard has not played in a game in the past year. His condition is still unknown. With such a large price, if a player like Thomas is traded, Players who plummet after an injury can be said to have lost more than they gained.

But for Davis, Magic has a different look. News from Shams: "The Lakers are willing to do their best to meet all the Pelicans' requirements and hope to complete Davis's transaction as soon as possible."

shams: Sources said that Magic Johnson is full of confidence in this transaction, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to bring about the birth of this combination, even if it involves trading all the young people from the Lakers plus draft picks for the next five years. No matter what, because the Lakers' goal is to win in the present, rather than focusing on the future, they believe that the combination of James, Durant, and Davis is enough for the Lakers to attack the Celtics' championship.

Fortunately, the Pelicans were very resistant to the sudden Davis trade. David Griffin, then president of operations for the Pelicans and former general manager of James, said: Rich Paul's request is extremely unreasonable. He is trying to manipulate the situation in this league. He will not choose to trade Anthony Davis, especially if it is impossible to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Griffin's statement made other team management feel a little more comfortable.

After all, although the combination of James and Durant is powerful, they are all outsiders after all. But if Davis is added, it would be terrible. Not only are they both inside and outside, but they are all tall and flexible, basically It is the ultimate team in the small ball era.

When the Celtics learned that Leonard requested to be traded, they immediately called Popovich and offered to use Hayward, Smart, and the next two first-round picks. The chip trade for Leonard was directly rejected by Popovich.

"Fake!!"

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!!!"

In the Celtics president's office, Angie walked around the room slightly anxiously, sighing and scratching his head from time to time.

"Fake!!" "The Zandu group was really fucked by him, this damn AIDS patient!!"

Looking at Anji, who remembered being like an ant on a hot pot, Jiang Hu couldn't help but reveal a narrow smile.

There is no doubt that Anji broke the defense.

In Jianghu's memory, this is the first time Anji has shown such an anxious and irritable side. One can imagine how much pressure the combination of James and Durant put on him.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Danny, don't worry about it."

"It's just another Golden State Warriors team. Since we can beat the Golden State Warriors, we can also beat them."

"Alas~" Anji sighed heavily.

"It was already very difficult for us to defeat the Golden State Warriors last year, but this year they actually came up with a combination of LeBron and KD. It's really difficult."

"And you know, the veterans in the league have this kind of virtue, and some of them are obviously capable of earning tens of millions of annual salaries. Seeing the combination of James and Durant, they don't want tens of millions of annual salaries, and they just go with the basic salary."

"Our strength can deal with any opponent, don't worry!!"

Suddenly, Anji seemed to have made up his mind. He looked at Jiang Hu and said: "Jiang, if, I mean if, we get Kawhi Leonard, how confident are you that you can defend the title??"

Looking at the determined Anji, Jiang Hu was stunned for a moment. He knew very well that the Spurs' asking price for Leonard would never be low. Leonard's health was not a matter of concern to the outside world. Not only was he very healthy, but he was also healthy. He performed at his peak and successfully led the Raptors to the championship.

Looking at Angie with firm eyes, Jiang Hu said solemnly: "If my partner is Kawhi, even if the opponent is LeBron and KD, I have [-]% confidence that I can win the championship!!"

Jiang Hu hesitated again: "But..."

"The cost of trading Kawhi is huge, and it is very likely that he will not renew his contract with us after next season. We only have the right to use him for one season."

Anji waved his hand and said: "The right to use it for one season, as long as he wins the championship, I don't believe he will not continue to sign with us."

Seeing Anji's determined attitude, Jianghu understood his desire for the championship. It was obvious that one championship was not enough for him. What he wanted was a dynasty, at least consecutive championships, even if he was blocked years ago. It's James and Durant, and Ainge will crush them all.

Angie asked again: "Let me ask you, if Kawhi comes to our place and asks you to play the main point, do you have the confidence?"

Jiang Hu said in surprise: "Master, you mean..."

Anji stretched out her hand to interrupt Jiang Hu's question: "Don't ask this question yet. Answer me first, whether it's okay or not."

Jiang Hu said easily: "Of course, this is not difficult for me. In many cases last season, I was closer to the master than Kyrie, right?"

Anji came over, smiled and patted Jiang Hu on the shoulder and said, "Okay, since you are so confident, then I will let you go. In order to win the championship, I have to do some things that offend others."

Seeing An Ji's expression, Jiang Hu was a little stunned...

He knows very well how much pressure James and Durant put on Anji. He also knows very well that Anji may be ready to be scolded for the sake of the championship.

Jianghu also knows that with a few words from Angie as the team president, the fate of some people will be changed from now on, and they will embark on a completely different path from the original.

On July 7, it was fine. There was no new news from the free market or the trading market. Jianghu was remotely controlling domestic transactions. On this trading day, Jianghu once again bought 5 million CATL shares. In his hands, The number of stocks here has reached 5% of CATL shares, successfully triggering the placard mechanism.

On July 7, at 6 a.m. US time, Woj once again gave an exciting exclusive report, "The Celtics and Spurs reached a deal, and Owen Leonard swapped clubs."

"Our news is that the Celtics have reached a deal with the Spurs. The Celtics sent Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart plus a 2020 first-round pick from the Nets in 2019. The Celtics' second-round pick in 2021 and the Celtics' second-round pick in [-] will acquire Spurs stars Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green."

"The transaction between the two parties was completed very quickly. It took almost only half an hour to finalize the final transaction content. The Spurs were originally most inclined to the Raptors' trade plan. Popovich and Ujiri were concerned about Leonard. The deal has been discussed for many rounds, and the final bargaining chip offered by the Toronto Raptors was DeMar DeRozan plus Jakob Bortle plus a future first-round pick."

"When the Celtics entered the court with extremely strong aggression and sincerity, the Raptors' bargaining chip instantly lost all appeal. Compared to a classical shooting guard like DeRozan, Popovich is obviously more interested in The combination of Irving + Aldridge is even more exciting. In addition, Irving’s fame and his gorgeous style of play can help the Spurs attract more fans to the stadium, which is also a major reason why the deal can be completed.”

"Although Smart is not as well-known as Irving, his defense against Curry in the Finals was one of the reasons why the Celtics were able to win the championship. The reason why the Celtics chose to trade Smart may be due to their imaginary enemy. The Celtics need Smart against the Warriors, but if it is against the Lakers led by James and Durant, Ainge believes that excellent forwards and tall guards are more cost-effective."

"Another reason why the deal can be concluded is that both Irving and Leonard have one year remaining on their contracts. Irving rejected the Celtics' maximum salary extension this summer and is looking forward to entering next year's free market. This is far from the stability that Danny Ainge expected. At the same time, Leonard firmly refused to continue to cooperate with the Spurs. Both parties were worried about avoiding the player leaving the team as a free agent and getting nothing, and finally reached a deal."

"In addition, another reason why Leonard, who has won two Defensive Player of the Year, two First Teams, and one Finals Most Valuable Player, and Irving are almost equal is because Leonard After Leonard resolutely refused to accept treatment from the Spurs doctors, no one knew how healthy he was, and the Celtics were also taking a gamble."

"After the trade, it is expected that Jiang Hu's position in the new season may be close to the first or second position. Even if Jiang Hu is not regarded as a striker, the Celtics will still have Jaylen Brown, Hayward, and Leonard. , Horford, Morris Jr., five powerful forward players. In the small ball era where the ability to switch defenses is increasingly pursued, this ability is what all coaches are eager to possess."

Although the deal between Irving and Leonard is not as shocking as James and Durant joining the Lakers, it is still quite shocking.

Because no one thought that Anji would sell off the original core championship team immediately after winning the championship, and do so decisively.

This shows that Anji's determination is so firm. Seeing the rise of his old rival, he did not hesitate to initiate a tit-for-tat deal.

But all fans in the middle know one thing, and that is that those classic yellow-green battles in NBA history are coming back.

(End of this chapter)