Chapter 745 [Last Cornerstone, All 15 People]

After selecting two people, Yang Rui, who was watching the live broadcast at home, was very satisfied. The last pick didn't matter.

Like Yang Rui in his previous life, small forward Jae Crowder was selected by the Mavericks.

Jae Crowder is an alternative target for the Clippers. He has excellent physical fitness, average shooting ability, and a strong all-around fighter. He is very capable on the defensive end. He plays small ball tactics and can reach the No. 4 position with his height of 198cm. He is 107 kg. With his weight, he won't suffer against many power forwards.

There are no big-name players behind them, and the Clippers didn't waste their 60th pick, selecting center Robert Sacre.

Thackeray is 213cm tall and weighs 118kg. He played through college. He is now 22 years old and has average physical fitness. The advantage is that he has a good body and can adapt to NBA-level confrontation.

In college, Thackeray averaged 9.4 points, 5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 21.8 minutes of playing time. Ranked second in Gonzaga history in total blocks, twice selected to the CC first team, and won the 2012 CC Defensive Player of the Year.

The Clippers signed Sacre to replace Aaron Gray as a human shield in the paint, and he will be useful. He knows how to defend, he's big enough to guard the basket, and his most valuable attribute is being a good communicator.

In Yang Rui's previous life, Thackeray was obviously a marginalized person, but many fans knew him. Whether on the bus, over lunch, or on the field, communication builds understanding between people, and Thackeray took full advantage of it.

He is always willing to communicate and let his teammates know who is dancing on the sidelines? Who is giving them water? Who is handing them towels? Who sent you to me? It was the round bright moon...

With the last pick, the Clippers poached the "cornerstone" of the Lakers.

Several trades were completed on draft day. The Wizards traded Rashard Lewis and the No. 46 pick to the Hornets for Okafoga Ariza.

The current president of the Wizards is Ernie Grunfield, the Knicks' championship manager at the time, and he made a cheap deal. Ariza can strengthen the Wizards' wings, and Okafor is also a good meat shield center. As for Lewis, he is now in a semi-wasted state and his contract is still very large.

The Bulls completed a trade with the Bobcats, sending guard Ben Gordon and second-round pick Quincy Acy, and exchanged forward Corey Maggette with the Bobcats.

Maggette was once one of the top ten small forwards in the league, but now he has been reduced to a substitute.

Gordon started his career with the SuperSonics in this life, but ultimately failed to succeed. He was similar to Yang Rui in his previous life, an ordinary role player, averaging 12 points and 2.4 assists per game.

Looking at these players whose fate was similar to that of his previous life, Yang Rui came to the conclusion that basketball talent determines a person's upper limit. A 191CM shooting guard like Ben Gordon is destined to be a black hole on the defensive end. At his peak, he is just a brush with excellent statistics.

To become a star, both body and intelligence are indispensable. Even Nash's body is not so bad that he has an advantage among point guards with his height of 191cm and his speed.

The Spurs sent forward Chase Budinger to the Timberwolves in exchange for the No. 18 draft pick and selected swingman Evan Fournier. In his previous life, Yang Rui was an excellent role player with potential, but he needed to practice for a few years.

The Spurs will definitely not be able to rely solely on Leonard as an outside player. Popovich wants to train young players. Budinger was only a second-round pick at the beginning, and the Spurs have already made a profit by being able to switch to a first-round pick.

The biggest trade of the day was that the Grizzlies sent 29-year-old point guard Mo Williams to the Jazz to make room for Lillard and received an $8.2 million trade exception from the Jazz. They will probably fail again next season. .

After the draft, free agency begins.

The Clippers selected three rookies in one go, which is bad news for many veterans. There are many people who want to join the Clippers, but most of the Clippers players are under contract and have no positions.

Even veteran free agents like Ray Allen and Nash will not get many playing opportunities if they join the Clippers.

The Clippers have retained all of their core lineup from last season, and they have to compete with young players.

If they just want to win the championship, they can join the Clippers as a marginal player and help the team like Kurt Thomas. The embarrassing thing is that capable veterans still want to get enough playing time and are unwilling to guard the water dispenser early.

Although Nash's statistics declined last season, his shooting percentage was very high. If he leaves the Lakers, there will be teams willing to offer him a high salary. It is difficult to make an annual salary of tens of millions, but he is still worth 5 million.

Nash hesitated, and after discussing with his agent, decided to abandon the Clippers and examine other strong teams.

If he is a marginal player at the Clippers' No. 1 position and only plays in garbage time when Paul and Curry are resting, even if he wins the championship with the team, how valuable is this ring? Who would admire him for this?

If Nash joins a rival team of the Clippers and defeats the Clippers with the team to win the championship, the gold content will be much higher. Of course, this kind of team is hard to find.

Ray Allen also gave up joining the Clippers. He won the championship with the Celtics in 2008. The reason why he left the Green Army was because of conflicts with Rajon Rondo.

The conflict between the two started from a trading dispute. In 2009, the management planned to package Ray Allen and Rondo with the Suns in exchange for Stoudemire + Barbosa and a first-round pick. The first motive of this transaction was to use Stoudemire to supplement the knee. The second reason for the injured Garnett's combat power is to get rid of Rondo, who has been unable to have a good relationship with Rivers and Ainge.

When Ray Allen learned that he was involved in the transaction, he called Rondo and told him, "Because you have a bad relationship with the management, the two of us are going to be sent away. See what you can do." Just do something.”

Although Ray Allen insisted that he had no intention of blaming, Rondo... he was just a child! He didn't think so. This incident was the beginning of the conflict between the two.

Once a mustard seed is sown, any little thing will serve as nourishment for it to take root, sprout, and flourish. Ray Allen's shot attempts have declined year by year, and he believes that Rondo did not pass the ball to him when he saw the open space in many possessions. Later, the two of them got into a heated argument and stopped talking to each other for a long time.

There are also people who don't want playing time and are willing to get a minimum salary. Derek Fisher asked his agent to recommend himself, hoping to find a job with the Clippers with a veteran's minimum salary.

Orsi reported to Yang Rui, and Yang Rui immediately said, "Fisher can go wherever he likes." When he coached the Lakers, Fisher was in much better shape than he is now, and he was not interested in signing him.

The 30-year-old "Brazilian Lightning" Barbosa is also willing to join the Clippers for one year's basic salary. He is still very fast and can shoot unexpectedly.

Yang Rui agreed. Barbosa's technical characteristics can increase his tactical play. He is 191cm tall and weighs 88kg. On the defensive end, he will not be beaten like Brooks.

In addition, the Clippers renewed Danny Green's contract for 10 million for three years. Green's statistics last season were not good. He averaged 5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in the regular season. Entering the playoffs, he only had 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1 assist, and his shooting percentage was 42%. The three-point shooting percentage was 38.9%.

For a substitute player with such statistics, it would be a premium to sign a long-term contract. Green happily accepted it. No team would offer a higher contract in the free market.

At this point, the Clippers' lineup has been confirmed with 15 players and no more contracts can be signed.

Center: Robert Sacre, Tyson Chandler, Draymond Green.

Power forward: Blake Griffin, Chandler Parsons, Kenneth Faried.

Small forwards: Shane Battier, Rudy Gay, Khris Middleton.

Shooting guards: Kyle Korver, Tony Allen, Danny Green.

Point Guards: Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Leandro Barbosa.