Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 396 The Real King

A few days later, Hansen went to Los Angeles, and Kobe's Mamba Academy officially opened a large-scale training camp in the second year.

Many stars went this time, including Leonard, Paul George, Irving, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Hield, and Thomas Jr.

When Han Sen arrived, Kobe went directly to the airport to greet him.

More than anyone else, Hansen’s presence again was the biggest help to Kobe.

After getting in the car and seeing Kobe sitting in the driver's seat, Han Sen realized something.

"Where's your helicopter?"

Did Kobe drive here because he said last time that he wouldn't take a helicopter?
"I think what you said last time made sense." Kobe said, putting his hands on the steering wheel.

It seemed that he not only agreed with Han Sen's opinion, but also wanted to take control of the steering wheel himself.

I can only say that this is very Kobe.

During the one-hour drive, the two talked about many things.

"What do you want to do after you retire?" Kobe is currently working on his post-retirement work, so he also asked Hansen.

"Maybe enjoy life, maybe become a team owner or something." Hansen knew Kobe was not a big talker.

"It takes a lot of money to be a boss now." It seems that Kobe should have had similar thoughts.

But just as Hansen had thought before, it would be best to buy the team before 2016.

Jordan spent 2010 million to buy the Hornets, then known as the Bobcats, in 1.75. But now, the Hornets' market value is 12.5 billion, which has increased sevenfold in just eight years.

The Hornets are ranked last in the league in terms of market value. If Hansen wants to become a big boss, he must have a net worth of at least 1 billion.

And this level of money cannot be earned just by playing basketball.

Kobe's career earnings, including playing and off-court earnings, are only around 500 million to 600 million.

"I heard that you made a lot of money with James Harden." Han Sen also took the opportunity to talk to Kobe about business matters.

Although he didn't remember what it was exactly, Han Sen remembered that it was true.

"That's just a little money." Kobe nodded with a smile, "But I think you can also try to accept some endorsement contracts instead of money but shares."

Kobe gave some advice and Hansen nodded.

Speaking of which, Jordan made a fortune from Nike's dividends, and O'Neal's investment in Google shares is also well known.

Han Sen traveled through time late, so he could no longer catch up with the classic cases he remembered. Of course, he didn't have that much money to invest in the early stages.

In addition, he was a basketball trainer in his previous life and had no business skills, so everything was left to Rondo. His off-court income basically came from endorsements.

His current net worth is probably four or five hundred million, but if you want to say one billion, or even more, that would not be so easy.

However, Kobe said that he already has a plan. His third endorsement contract with UA will expire next summer. The next contract will be a lifetime contract. He plans to get shares like Jordan did back then.

"But you can't be a boss just by having money." Kobe then pointed out another difficult part.

Han Sen smiled and nodded, but did not explain further.

The reason why he was moved by Vivek's conditions in the first place, besides money, was opportunity.

With the rapid increase in the market value of NBA teams, the owners will not sell the teams unless there are force majeure factors, such as Sterling (racial discrimination) and Prokhorov (politics).

However, Han Sen had come up with that idea before, so he naturally had other plans in mind.

But that's definitely not something that's appropriate to share with Kobe.

With the support of a number of superstars, Kobe's official Mamba Academy has a huge influence.

It is no exaggeration to say that although this is the second session, it is this session that really made the name for itself.

When Hansen returned from Los Angeles, Lu also returned to Sacramento and successfully brought good news that Van Gundy would report to Sacramento after handling the ESPN contract.

Although Han Sen knew that Lu was good at interpersonal communication, he still couldn't help but give Lu a thumbs up.

In a sense, Lu is indeed the one who is more suitable to be the head coach, because the most important thing for a team leader is not the strength of personal ability, but the ability to control the team and the people in the team.

"So how did you convince him?" Han Sen couldn't help but wonder.

"Thanks to your words, he doesn't want to miss such a great opportunity."

Han Sen was very pleased with Lu's answer, but Han Sen knew Lu so well that he knew that was probably not the main reason.

"What else?" Han Sen asked.

Hearing Han Sen's question, Lu smiled and said, "A person who gets up at 5 o'clock every morning to study tactics, eats, sleeps, and even breathes in the gym must love his job as a coach."

Han Sen nodded when he heard this.

This sounds like a more reliable reason. Van Gundy and Thibodeau are both well-known workaholics among coaches.

But speaking of this, the first reason Lu gave was not entirely a courtesy. After all, if it was just a job opportunity, it would not be difficult to get it with Van Gundy's ability.

It is now late July and the free market is coming to an end.

The Kings' biggest signing in the process was taking JaVale McGee on a minimum salary, who will serve as the team's backup center.

Because Hansen made the decision after careful consideration, at that time most free agents had already reached agreements with other teams, and the Kings had very limited options among the remaining players.

McGee has a lot of problems, but he is talented after all and is only 30 years old, so he is still capable of playing as a substitute.

However, during this period, the Kings encountered a big problem.

This summer, Han Sen’s decision was the most watched event, but there was another incident that also caused a lot of controversy.

After Leonard was tripped by Pachulia, his injuries recurred. A huge rift also appeared between him and the Spurs management around this injury.

Leonard's contract expires next summer. Out of concern for Leonard's injuries, or perhaps out of team tradition, the Spurs hope that Leonard can accept a contract extension that is lower than the maximum salary.

But Leonard refused to make concessions on this matter, and the negotiations between the two sides broke down several times.

Finally, Leonard requested a trade from the Spurs. The Spurs then realized the difference between Leonard and GDP and changed their minds and offered him a maximum salary. Unfortunately, Leonard was determined to leave, and even Popovich's personal intervention was of no avail.

This negotiation process took longer than Hansen's decision, which also led to confusion in the market.

Although Leonard's status is much lower than Hansen's, he is also a top star in the league, especially he is one of the few superstars in the league who can play both offense and defense.

As long as he can play, it is definitely worth trading for him.

But this is where the embarrassment of the problem lies. It would take a lot of chips to trade for Leonard, but he only has one year left on his contract and there is a great risk of injury.

Maybe they paid a huge price to get him, but in the end, it was all in vain. So the negotiations were delayed again and again.

In the end, the Spurs and the Raptors reached a deal in which they sent Leonard and Danny Green in exchange for DeRozan, Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick.

The Raptors gave up the core of the team, a lottery pick and a future first-round pick, which was definitely a big gamble.

This matter seems to have nothing to do with the Kings, but the key point is that the Kings are involved in this transaction.

They proposed a trade plan to the Spurs, hoping to trade Tatum, Gay and a future first-round pick for Leonard.

This proposal did not impress Popovich, but after the Leonard trade was settled, the trade proposals that had been made were exposed by the media.

Han Sen was very angry when he heard the news when he came back.

Because he didn't know anything about it.

In other words, Divac bypassed him and Rondo and went directly to the Spurs to talk about the trade for Leonard.

The reason behind this can basically be guessed. It's nothing more than that every proposal Divac made before was rejected by Hansen, so he decided to negotiate on his own.

After all, strictly speaking, he is the general manager.

From Han Sen's perspective, since he is a time traveler, he knows that he will make money if the deal is reached.

But the problem is that Gay is involved, which is equivalent to putting his valued teammates on the shelf.

Moreover, the deal was not finally completed, which directly planted a landmine for the team's internal atmosphere in the new season.

Of course, the most important thing is that Divac is not only challenging his power, but also throwing a big pot directly on his head.

Because everyone knows that he has the final say on the Kings now, so the two people included in the trade will definitely think so.

There is even an argument from the outside world that "there is really no difference between Han Sen and James, trading a rookie for a star teammate."

Although this is a good thing from the perspective of black fans, the team will have big internal problems.

So when Hansen came back, he went straight to Vivek and asked him to fire Divac.

As a general manager, it’s okay to be stupid, after all, as long as you don’t take what he says seriously.

But if a fool is self-righteous, he must not be kept.

Vivek was very decisive. After knowing the whole story, he fired Divac the next day.

No matter how famous the Kings are, they are nothing compared to Hansen.

And after this happened, for the sake of the team's atmosphere in the new season, Divac had to pack up and leave.

"They'll never be successful because the decisions are made all the time by people who don't understand basketball."

Divac was extremely resentful about being fired for this reason and directly cursed the Kings.

However, the Kings did not care too much about it. After dismissing Divac, Vivek directly gave the power to select the general manager to Hansen.

Since he chose to cooperate with Han Sen, he must trust him unconditionally.

After all, if even Hansen can't lead the Kings to success, then the Kings will never be successful.

Han Sen didn't expect Vivek to do this, but since the power was given to him, he had no reason to refuse.

And he quickly thought of someone.

Then with just one phone call, he got the person.

Chris Wallace, former general manager of the Grizzlies, resigned from Memphis on his own initiative because the team did not want to trade him.

He was soon hired by the Nets as team president to help the Nets start rebuilding.

Some of the moves he made during his tenure included selecting Jaylen Brown and Lonzo Ball, and the overall performance was pretty good.

However, a new emperor appoints new ministers. This year, the Nets changed ownership and he, the former team president, was also fired.

Now he is idle at home, and he is the most suitable candidate at this time.

Wallace traded for Hansen from the Cavaliers, which shows that he is an excellent general manager. More importantly, he has a close relationship with Hansen and it is impossible for him to do something like Divac did without saying hello.

At this point, from the team's president of operations to the general manager to the team's head coach, everyone has become Hansen's "own people". Every word he says will be a decision. In Sacramento, he is already the real king.

And the only thing he needs to do is to get the real crown for his throne.

After securing the general manager selection, Hansen started his annual personal training camp in Sacramento.

This year's training camp was more lively than any other year, because in addition to the newcomers, there was also someone who Han Sen had never expected.

That eye-catching schoolbag, the instant noodles in his hand, and that handsome face.

After 8 years, Durant came to his training camp again!
But Durant did not come alone, Irving came with him.

They both seemed to be in a good mood, and they greeted Han Sen together, like old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Irving's arrival is actually understandable. After all, the conflict between him and the Cavaliers management is not between him and Hansen.

Han Sen really didn't know what Durant said.

But he didn't ask.

But that's how things are in this world. Something you keep asking may not have an answer, but when you stop caring about it, the answer may appear on its own.

When the training camp was about to end, Durant found Hansen and started chatting.

"Aren't you curious why I came this year?"

Han Sen shook his head: "It's OK as long as you come."

Because of Durant's presence, the quality of this year's training camp will be greatly improved.

He exchanged for his arm span this year. If he wants to adjust it to the most suitable state, it is just like exchanging those dynamic talents. It is not enough to rely on his own practice, but still depends on high-level competitions.

So Durant's arrival was a big help to him.

Durant's face turned red, but Hansen still didn't give him face.

But he was not angry, instead he explained: "Kyrie told me that your training camp needs high-level competition, so I came."

"So... you're here to help me?" Han Sen never expected this.

Durant nodded firmly, with a look of confidence on his face: "Because you left Cleveland, the championship in the new season will be ours."

(End of this chapter)